__________________________________________________________________
I took row
BB seats 20 and 21 on the left of the stage. I was surprised to see how close
row BB is to the stage and absolutely no legroom at all - and I am not a large
person. I don’t think I will be buying those seats too often. Think I would
prefer to save and buy a full price ticket with a better view. It is far too
close for this type of show.
I think the best rows would be C to F, and plan on booking one of those so that
I can see the whole stage as the dancing is amazing. Michael Ball is great – I
kept forgetting it was him!! Ben from the 'Joseph' TV show is super - great
dancing but felt his voice was not that strong. Leanne Jones has a great voice
and they are all wonderful dancers.
__________________________Could hardly wait to see this show (13th October
2007) and I will definitely be back again... I LOVED it!
We had really great seats in row M9 and 10 of the stalls, lots of leg room as
this is the aisle between the front and back of stalls and a good clear view of
the whole stage .
My companion, who had seen the show on Broadway, said that he would know within
seconds of 'Good Morning Baltimore', if Leanne Jones was going to be a good
Tracy..... I'm very pleased to say that she got a very big thumbs up and was
absolutely amazing. The whole cast were truly fantastic, Tracie Bennett as Velma
Von Tussle was suitably 'Cruella De Ville', managing to be very funny as well as
hideously nasty!
Michael Ball is a natural woman!!!! He is obviously enjoying this role. The
portrayal is rather more assertive than the Edna we saw in the film from John
Travolta and I think this really works well, some very funny touches and spot on
delivery. I love the 'Timeless to Me' number and he and Mel Smith do not
disappoint.
I was not a fan of Ben James-Ellis on 'Any Dream', however he absolutely shines
in the role of Link, great singing and boy, can he dance.
This show was so full of energy and vibrancy, wonderful singing from everyone,
not a note out of place. I have to make special mention of the Dynamites who
apart from looking gorgeous in sparkly red dresses, had the most incredible
voices. And finally to Adrian Hansel who plays Seaweed - what a talented
performer he is.
The audience were on fire and every song was cheered, the standing ovation at
the end and the cheers for each and every cast member - the orchestra too - were
well deserved, and I can't wait to go back on 7 November; in fact I don't think
I will wait, I will simply have to go sooner!!!
____________________________ I attended the first preview of Hairspray (11th
October 2007). All I can say is WOW! I have never attended a first preview
that was so spot on. All the cast were great, and the new girl, Leanne, playing
Tracy was amazing! Michael Ball was a revelation - you forgot he was Michael and
male throughout the show - he was Edna and a female, married to Mel Smith. Truly
a wonderful, convincing performance. Ben, from 'Any Dream Will Do" (BBC TV
casting show), was so much better than he had been in that show. The part of
Link could have been made for him.
There wasn't a weak link in the show, and it was so much fun! My face began
to ache with smiling or laughing all the way through. A complete standing
ovation at the end was really deserved. Hopefully this will run and run, and end
the Shaftesbury "curse".
Chris,
East Yorkshire.
____________________________ Although usually hard to please and overly
critical, I have to say that my heart was warmed and my spirit lifted by the
amazing performances of everybody on stage in 'Hairspray' tonight (Monday 15th
October 2007). Firstly, I have to give unstinting praise to the two young leads,
Leanne Jones and Ben James-Ellis, both making their professional debuts in this
show. If you want proof of just how good these two performers are, then pay full
attention to what they do in the finale of the show: after what you would expect
to be the most exhausting two and a half hours of singing and dancing, they both
outshine everybody on the stage in the closing number. Talk about 'You're going
out there a youngster and you're coming back a star' (said by Warner Baxter to
Ruby Keeler in the film '42nd Street') -- these two youngsters are stars of the
highest magnitude! And so is everybody else in the company, although I would
advise Mel Smith that I don't believe his future actually lies in the musical
theatre! Special praise also for Michael Ball, who created a warm, loveable
character of Edna Turnblad and, as I am sure everyone will continue to say, made
one forget totally that he was actually a man.
Do I have any criticisms?...of course I do. Firstly, the show is unremittingly
loud, and the procession of big, brash numbers gets a bit tiresome, especially
in the first act. And occasionally the script is rather too predictable,
although it is laced with some wonderfully funny lines that might require one to
be a senior citizen to fully appreciate or even understand. I thought the music
(or at least some of the songs) was not quite as good as it might have been --
after all, I was around in 1962 and was taught to do the Twist by Chubby Checker
himself (although the Madison is a closed book to me) -- and at times some of
the numbers seemed to be somewhat uninspired copies of the real thing.
But hey, it's hard to be crabby in the face of such wonderfully energetic and
persuasive performances and I take back any negative things I may have said
above and vote 'Hairspray' a raging success - and for once I was pleased to get
to my feet at the end and join in the fully deserved standing ovation!
____________________________ Saw this great
show on Monday 22nd October 2007. Did not book tickets - arrived at box office
about 2.30pm, fingers crossed... They had the £60 tickets, then I asked about
day tickets; they had all gone in ten minutes that morning. But... did get
offered row M of Royal Circle (usually £60) for £25 each! I said, 'yes' right
away. Great seats, perfect view, O.K. leg room. If I`d have paid £60 I would
have felt short changed, these are more £50 in my opinion - in fact the last 2
or 3 rows of Circle should be £50 - but never the less you see everything.
Full house, amazing reaction from audience, already some annoying groupies
forming - "got the t-shirt / I`ll sing along and dance and block your view
type," but I suppose it's that kind of show.
It was great fun, great sets, very lavish feel, spot on costumes, loads of
energy, strong cast all round - not one weak member. I expected to enjoy it
more, not sure why I didn`t, as love the John Waters film. Mr Ball is great,
especially at the start. More like Divine than Mr Travolta - which I feel is
right for the part. He and Mel Smith are great - timeless to me.
Go see it, it's a great night out, and for a preview it was top class. When it
settles it will be amazing.
_____________________________
What a show!! And what a fantastic cast!! Everyone of them is excellent, though
Michael Ball really stood out. We had seats N26 and N27 in the Stalls and had no
complaints at all. We had perfect sightlines, though we were just on the edge of
the proscenium. A brilliant show and highly recommended. Special mention for the
programmes! Only £4 and it contains so much info, articles and cast pics.
_____________________________
We sat row A of the Royal Circle 21, 22, 23 and the seats were fine. With two
children it was better to have the small bar in front rather than a large tall
adult. Legroom was a bit tight but again worth it for an uninterrupted view.
Didn't feel a million miles from the stage, very intimate.
The show was fabulous and great for adults and children alike. Michael Ball was
well "A women through and through," Leanne Jones a brilliant newcomer and Ben
was lucky not to win 'Joseph' - this part is made for him. The entire company
was full of energy and everyone worked to make it a memorable theatre
experience.
Being from "up north" £180 seemed a lot of money for 3 of us and less than 3
hours entertainment but it was money well spent.
______________________________ What a
fantastic show! If you're in London and want to have an amazing night at the
theatre definitely go and see Hairspray.
We went on 31st October 2007 and had seats in Row A of the Stalls. The legroom
wasn't as bad as we feared it might have been and if you're fans of any
particular cast member then seats this close to the stage certainly provides a
good close-up view - you almost feel like you're on the stage with them.
All of the cast are brilliant, putting in 110% and with such infectious energy
that by the end the entire audience were on their feet dancing along. Leanne
Jones and Ben James-Ellis are both terrific in their West End debuts, whilst the
pairing of Michael Ball and Mel Smith is truly inspired. - a marriage made in
heaven and I shall remember You're Timeless to Me for a very long time!
This show and its cast deserves to win many many awards.
______________________________
A fun and definitely fabulous show. Large and loud on many counts. The kind of
show where you find yourself yelling 'Whoa' after every number and clapping your
hands above your head (strange for a normally uptight Brit). The audience's
enthusiasm was infectious. By way of context, aside from a large troop of teens
secreted in the balcony, the (packed) audience was mainly middle aged with a
very large proportion of silver haired theatregoers.
Production values are high and it all hangs together extremely well. The
constantly changing sets are a glorious candy coloured confection with a touch
of neon polka dot. The leads and supporting cast are first class - there isn't
really a weak link. Characterisation throughout is great. Aside from Michael
Ball, Mel Smith and a few long-standing thesps and hoofers this is mostly a very
young and exuberant cast. Yet there's none of that raw, West End break feel to
it (probably because Ball, Smith et al provide the grounding).
There's a stunning performance from Leanne Jones as Tracy Turnblad in her
professional debut. Not only can she sing and dance but she sustains her
character totally. Michael Ball is wonderful. He doesn't do drag, he does woman
and as others have noted, the relationship between him and Mel Smith, as the
father becomes all too believable and indeed moving. One of the highlights, has
got to be a Vaudeville style duet between Ball and Smith in front of the curtain
- well it's not actually the curtain and it's pale lemon pleated nylon if you
must know. Not only are they superb but it serves as a quality respite from the
somewhat relentless pace of the rest of the show.
This is not a show to see if you have a migraine coming on. It's big and often
(elegantly) brash. We had prime 'green' monkey seats - Row J, Stalls, off the
centre aisle but I wouldn't have minded being a way back. It does tend to 'come
at you'. You probably want to see this show from the Dress Circle - unless you
like being part of the 'business' (if you're serious get the first row on the
right of the auditorium, I'll say no more).
If I'm picky then the one thing that spoilt the evening was the sound mix /
balance. Some of it was fine but as the evening wore on it became impossible to
understand what they were singing. Think wall of noise. I felt as if I was
listening to a production in a foreign language (but enjoying it all the same).
It's a real shame because from the bits I did hear and from the dialogue, I
suspect the lyrics are worth listening to.
(OK, so now I need to buy the DVD / CD.)
All in all, this is a definite feel good night out. If you're a fan of the
original Walters / Divine movie you won't be disappointed. It's got the sets,
it's got the songs, it's got the story (what a relief). When the audience as one
rose to its feet at the end it felt deserved as opposed to the end of Mama Mia
which felt entirely contrived. We'd all had a blast.
________________________________ Saw
Hairspray yesterday (17th November 2007) – completely brilliant, came out
feeling uplifted. We were a group of ten in the stalls T 3 to 12. Great rake
means visibility was good. One of the lights hanging from the Dress Circle
obscured a tiny bit of the stage but not a problem! By the way, did you all know about the deal between
the Masterparks and the West End theatres? You get you car park ticket validated
in the theatre and then the car park is half price. This means you get four
hours for £7.80 instead of £15.50. This is an ongoing promotion and one I use
all the time. 7 car parks covered by this scheme – used the Chinatown one for
the Shaftesbury: less than 10 minute walk. Recommended!"
_________________________________ Saw this fab show on 1st December 2007 – what a
breath-taking three hours! Every member of the cast was excellent, and Michael
Ball was a revelation in a frock!! Leanne and Ben made spectacular debuts as
Tracy and Link, and Tracie Bennett was in her usual excellent voice as Velma (we
saw her at the Greenwich playing Judy Garland, so knew she would be good). The
whole theatre was buzzing, and the standing ovation at the end was so well
deserved. Can’t wait to see it again! We had seats F25 and 26 in the stalls –
excellent view and good legroom once the person in front has sat down. Go and
see it – you won’t be disappointed.
Avril
_________________________________
To "Hairspray" Thursday
evening 20th December 2007.
Early queuing on the day got front row seats for £25. Right in
front of a
bass speaker. But an excellent view of the dancers' underwear
:-)
The high-energy routines are impeccable. To stand up in
comparison, the
acting demands star-sized performances. Michael Ball gave us
one. Mel
Smith supported him well, despite occasionally forgetting to
make a line
audible. Leanne Jones almost did, though for me she was outshone
by the
young black actor playing Seaweed. I was disappointed in the
portrayal of
the black "mama" (sorry, I didn't invest in a programme, so
can't quote
names). I first looked at my watch during the scene in the black
club
towards the end of Act I. (But maybe that was also because that
was when it
went over 1 1/4 hours - the maximum effective length of a first
half. When
WILL they learn?)
Ball and Smith bring the house down with their Act II duet,
proving yet
again the strength of a timeless Broadway number. It would have
been kinder
to follow it with a scene, the double duet from the younger
principals that
followed could hardly compete.
With stronger casting, this might have been one of the great
theatrical
experiences of my life. But it's still one of the best things
I've seen
this year.
____________________________________
Just thought I would send my thoughts on 'Hairspray,' the
performance on Tuesday 1st January 2008 at 7:30pm.
First of all, the omens were not good - no Michael Ball (although I knew that in
advance, holiday dates published after I had booked - grrrrr!) but then we found
out no Leanne Jones either. However, once the show started, I was instantly
captured by Charlotte Roby's performance and she didn't put a foot wrong all
night. This summed up my feelings towards the show really, it was fun, energetic
and had the feel-good factor in buckets! Overall a superb cast, standouts being
(apart from Charlotte Roby) being Tracie Bennet's wonderfully OTT Velma, and
Johnnie Fiori who brought the house down with "I know where I've been" in the
second act, but generally the standards from all were very high.
Overall, a great night out - you could almost believe that the cast were having
as much fun as the audience.
The seats we had were in the stalls, L 17 and 18. Great view, the rake of the
theatre is quite steep for stalls, and an aisle seat which is good for me.
However, at 6' 6", the legroom was absolutely non-existent. It's a good job that
one side of me was an aisle and the other side was my wife because we had to get
very close!!!! I would recommend these seats wholeheartedly if you are average
size, but if not I would suggest going for row M behind which has much more
legroom. The main advantage for me in L is there is no one sat behind, and I
didn't notice too much because the show was such fun.
Paul West
_____________________________________
Wow! What a show! We saw
it on Saturday 22nd December 2007 - no Michael Ball but his stand in
Adam Price made a great Edna! 'You're Timeless to me' is
priceless!
As many reviewers have said the whole of the cast are fantastic,
from newcomers Leanne Jones and Ben Ellis to Mel Smith and
Tracie Bennett - excellent! The singing and dancing leaves you
out of breath, they certainly have a lot of energy and
deservedly received a standing ovation at the end.
We had good seats, not much leg room but that was to be expected
really - Royal circle, Row E, seats 19-22, great view of the
whole stage.
I loved so many of the songs but a couple of favourites had to
be ' I Can Hear The Bells', 'Without Love' and of course 'You
Can't Stop the Beat!'
They all proved to be a friendly cast too, giving autographs and
posing for photos, the signed programme finished the evening off
perfectly! Most definitely booking to see this again! Good Luck
to all of them at the upcoming 'Theatregoers' Choice Awards'
I've cast my vote!
"Go Mamma, Go, Go, Go!"
Frances.
_____________________________________
Last night (16th January
2008) me and my friend Winston went to see 'Hairspray' at the
Shaftesbury Theatre.
This was a show an a half. A real gem. It’s been a long time
since I have seen such energy and enthusiasm on the London
Stage.
The whole experience was amazing and the show breezed a long
with enormous pace and flow.
The whole cast were excellent but I think Ben James Ellis rose
above all the rest as real star and when he sang “it takes two”
I felt shivers running down my spine. His voice has huge range
and is the sweetest voice I have ever heard on a man.
Adrian Hansel as seaweed is also worth a mention as been
exceptional and his dancing is very hot indeed.
I have never been a big fan of Michael Ball so wasn’t worried if
he wasn’t going to be in the cast but I was very surprised to
see that he was quite amazing and very funny as Edna and really
I think his voice is better than either Divine or John Travolta
from the movie versions of this show.
I have not enjoyed myself so much at a London Theatre in a long
time.
We sat in the Royal Circle row M seats 3 and 4 and these were OK seats, as you
could see the stage and there was a clear view of the whole
thing.
Unfortunately we had two giants sitting in front of us - and
these guys were like 6’4 and about 22 stone - so it was hard to
see around them. Luckily we had a free seat next to us so
managed to stagger our seating for the second half and then had
a much better view. I do think the should introduce some sort of
restriction on height for the West End theatre. It’s funny I
never see these human mountains on the street but they always
seem to show up at the theatre. (Joke!)
We were lucky as we had discounts on these seats so we didn’t
pay the £60 face value (which I didn’t tell the disgruntled
couple from Blackpool sitting next to us whose daughter had
bought them the tickets for Christmas.) They really felt cheated
sitting so far back for £60 and it seems unfair when really you
can sit down in the front rows for the same price.
These seats really should be £50 max.
________________________________Went to see "Hairspray" on
Saturday 26th January 2008 and it was great. Very lively and
very entertaining. Reminded me a little of 'Joseph' in that it
was a young cast who were all very energetic and vibrant.
Michael Ball steals the show as expected, he really is a class
act and there seemed a chemistry between him and Mel Smith. The
younger actors all played their parts well.
Sat in the stalls seats G29 and G30, marked as red on
theatremonkey plan but I would disagree, very good seats with a
good rake. Close enough to see actors faces clearly but not too
close as this show does tend to 'jump out' at you. Quite a lot
of children in the audience so expect a fair amount of whooping
and clapping and even jumping up to clap-dance at the end.
On a sad note it was announced at the end that it was Mel
Smith's final performance that night.
All in all a good night
out for young and old alike.
________________________________ Tuesday 29th January 2008: We
sat in the Stalls Row M 21 to 26 – great seats as there is an
aisle in front of the entire row so plenty of leg room and a
great view too – get these if you can.. Just one word of warning
– make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to find the
theatre – it is a good 8 to 10 minute walk from the Palace and
Prince Edward theatres.
The programme is quite good value at £6 but it is big and packed
full of pictures, however take my advice and don't buy the CD at
the sales booth - it is the Broadway cast anyway and is rather
heftily priced - can be bought much cheaper on the internet!!!
I was pleased to see Michael Ball was performing that night
although Mel Smith had left.
A phrase to describe this musical is “literally bursting with
energy” – the show explodes into life and the pace is kept up
throughout the entire evening. The first three numbers – “Good
Morning Baltimore”, “Mama I’m a Big Girl now” and “I can hear
the bells” were catchy, punchy and funny and the cast worked
very hard throughout Act One, however I found my attention
drifting at about Scene 5 (the school gymnasium) and only
managing to grab me back again for “Welcome to The Sixties.”
Consequently at the interval I was enjoying the show but not
over-enthusiastic.
Whilst Act One followed the recent film in plot and songs almost
exactly, the second half seemed to have condensed everything
down – which was probably a good thing and I found I enjoyed
this Act much, much more – great colour and atmosphere and again
this fantastic energy from everyone – quite exhausted just
watching them.
The cast work very hard and Michael Ball is great as Edna
Turnblad, some funny lines delivered well and a good booming
voice when needed - he appeared to be ad-libbing but I am sure
it was all tightly scripted.
Leanne Jones as Tracy was a bundle of personality – she didn’t
stop all night – well done to her. Ben James-Ellis as Link (came
4th in the BBC Joseph programme) was suitably good looking and
he played the part very well – he looked shattered at the end,
but no wonder really. A stand-out member of the cast for me was
Elinor Collett playing Tracy’s best friend, Penny. She never
stepped out of character and I found my eyes drawn to her even
when she wasn’t centre stage delivering lines – an excellent
performance.
90% of the stalls audience were on their feet at the end
(including me) to cheer and clap along and it really is a “Feel
Good” musical - I would give this 10 out of 10 for cast
commitment but as an overall package probably a 7 out of 10 – an
enjoyable night out.
_____________________________
I have seen 'Hairspray' in London twice now (1st December 2007
and 27th February 2008) and both times you come out the theatre
on a major high. I watched the same cast (except for Mel Smith
being replaced by Ian Talbot who I believe is much better, due
to Mel Smith not knowing the dances even though he had been
doing the show for 2 months, and Ian Talbot coming over as a
more caring father. Star of the night for me was Natalie Best
who I thought was sensational, but all the cast doing amazing
job (you always hear the people in the audience saying whenever
Michael Ball is on stage “I’m sure that’s not Michael Ball, it
looks nothing like him!”).
The first time I saw it I sat in M19 to 21 which offered a great
view and enough leg room to swing a cat as it has the aisle in
front. I paid £60 plus booking fee BUT the second time I paid
£25 as I went for a day seat. IF YOU ARE A HAIRSPRAY FAN SIT
HERE, BUT IT DOES NOT OFFER THE SAME VIEW AS THE EXPENSIVE SEATS
BEHIND AS THE ACTORS FEET AND SHINS ARE CUT OFF FROM THE VIEW.
As a Hairspray fan (knowing all the words, I sat there singing
the whole score) these seats are amazing and a great bargain.
You are less than 1 metre from the stage and for about the first
10 minutes you worry about the cast falling on you. I sat in BB
20 and 21 which offered adequate legroom (I’m 6”1 and had no
problems). Choose stage left (BB20 to 27) over stage right if
leg room is a problem.
DAY SEAT ADVICE: I got there at 8:30am on a Wednesday morning
with one person in front of me and by 8:45 there were six people
behind me and no one else joined the queue before the box office
opened. We worked out that there was 3 tickets left after all of
us purchased the tickets. If you were to do this I would not get
there later than 8:30am as the earlier you get there the more
central the seats will be.
Stage Dooring – The young people crowed the stage door while the
older generation stand on the other side of the road waiting for
“THE BALL”. All the cast are really friendly and willing to sign
autographs and pose for pictures. Most of them also like a bit
of a chat as well.
_______________________________ I took a two coach group to Hairspray on Thursday 28th February
2008 (Matinee). Some of the men really did not like it but the
majority did and many thought it was a really great show.
It was due to start at 3pm, at 3.10 they gave an apology for the
late start, at 3.20 they announced that Leanne Jones was
indisposed and her part would be played by an understudy. I had
seen the show before on preview so could see that the new girl
was slightly taller than Leanne and had a different smile
(larger mouth), but if they had not been late and she had just
gone on in Leanne's place I doubt many people would have
noticed. She looked the same size, had just as good a voice and
played it as if she had been doing it for weeks. Like all good
under-studies she saw her opportunity and grabbed it by the
scruff of the neck. It was a little unfortunate for her that
being the Matinee and with another performance that day and
added to the fact that it started 20 minutes late, they had to
make cuts and it finished only 10 minutes late but I suspect
that what was cut was a reprise / encore of the last number and
also curtain-calls. It didn't however stop a full-house
instantaneous standing ovation which was very much for 'Tracy'
although obviously Michael Ball was sharing in that applause.
Ian Talbot, the new Dad, we felt if anything was better than Mel
Smith. He has a good singing voice and is a Music Hall Variety
old Pro. When he and Michael Ball did their 'Flanagan and Allen'
type routine they brought the house down. It was just magical
Old Time Music Hall Variety. It would be perfect for the 'Royal
Variety Show!!'
This is a wonderful show particularly for young girls and women
but many men in my group including myself really enjoyed it. We
enjoyed it more this time than before on early preview ( we did
have better seats so could hear the words better and there are
some quick fire jokes and witty comments that we missed the
first time).
I wonder who will eventually take over from Michael Ball. It is
difficult to think of anyone coming up to his standard in this
role. He is brilliant and thoroughly deserves to be Best Actor
in a Musical at the Olivier awards which hopefully he will win
(He did - editor!).
___________________ When I booked my ticket for 'Hairspray' tonight (10th March
2008), specifically to see Ian Talbot as Wilbur Turnblad, I had
no idea that it would be the first performance after the Olivier
Awards were announced, or that 'Hairspray' would do so well. But
it was all very serendipitous, and I decided before it started
that I would ignore the over-amplification and just enjoy the
show, which I did from the very first notes of ‘Good Morning
Baltimore’. I was sitting in the middle of the dress circle and
had a perfect view of the stage as well as getting the music
louder than I really needed - but I knew that’s how it would be,
so I guess it’s just part of the package!
I expect the show gets a great reception every night, but
tonight seemed just that little bit special because of the
Olivier Awards, and there was a very warm round of applause at
the first appearance of Michael Ball. At the end of the
performance during the calls the whole creative team came on
stage brandishing the Olivier Award for Best Musical and I was
very happy to be on my feet cheering everybody on stage. The
awards were richly deserved, and I heartily congratulate all the
recipients.
Looking at the show again tonight, my second viewing, I was
impressed at just how good every single person in the cast was,
and it again hit home to me how much is expected these days of
performers in musicals in respect of the three basic
disciplines…singing, dancing and acting! The stage was on fire
with energy in all the production numbers, the standard of the
ensemble singing was magnificent, and every role was acted with
rounded and convincing characterisation. I think we are all very
lucky to be able to see such a high level of talent in musicals
these days in the West End!
_____________________
Went to see Hairspray (for the third time) on 13th March 2008
and in my opinion this show just gets better and better! Our
group had seats in the stalls, Rows C and D stage right, the
legroom is fine in these rows and you do get a wonderful
close-up view of all the action - an important point for our
group being fans of Ben James-Ellis!!!
Despite already playing to a packed house at the earlier matinee
the cast still gave 100%, singing and dancing as energetically
as ever and showing no sign of any tiredness. Michael Ball is
obviously having the time of his life as Edna and newcomers
Leanne and Ben have really polished their performances over the
past few months, what a terrific start to their careers. I think
Ian Talbot as the new Wilbur is even better that Mel Smith, he's
settled nicely into his role and portrays a really loving
husband and father. The Edna/Wilbur duet You’re Timeless to
Me was absolutely hilarious, poor Michael was almost crying
with laughter as were the entire audience. What a show-stopper
of a song!
From curtain-up to the standing ovation the atmosphere was
electric and both cast and audience alike seemed to be having a
absolute ball! This show deserves all the awards its getting and
if you haven't been to see it yet don't hesitate any longer,
book now and spend a really enjoyable few hours in 1962.
Carol
Plymouth
_____________________
I saw 'Hairspray' on Thursday 27th March 2008. It was an
excellent show and well worth a watch. As a show it flows really
well, and is really pacey. All the songs fit in nicely, and it
is a perfect length. The production team have made the most of
the script, and the whole production is a laugh-a-minute. The
choreography really highlights the amusing parts of the script,
and it just makes you grin from beginning to end.
A lot has been said of the performances, especially Leanne Jones
as Tracey. We actually saw her understudy Charlotte Riby who was
excellent. She was really enjoyable to watch and got the
audience on her side straight away. She knew exactly what she
was doing (surprising with the amount or rehearsals understudies
get) and I wasn’t in ANY way disappointed to have missed Leanne
Jones.
Most of the other performances are excellent. Michael Ball and
Ian Talbot had great chemistry as a couple. They laughed a lot
at each other throughout the end of “Baby Your Timeless To Me”
which was hilarious. I have no idea if they had found something
genuinely funny or were just doing it for the audience, but
either way they elevated one of the more average songs to one of
the best bits. Ian Talbot’s dancing was also worth my admission
fee alone.
Rachael Wooding as Amber Von Tussle was also brilliant as she
made a really silly part very funny but also mildly believable,
whereas some of the other characters did slip slightly into
pantomime at times (not that that really mattered!) If I were to
have any criticisms, some of the male dancers weren’t brilliant
(surprisingly), Johnnie Fiori as Motormouth Maybelle had a very
tired voice and the ending of the first half was little scrappy,
but this is being really picky and I loved it as a show.
A word of advice - I hardly ever book tickets in advance so my
mum and I turned up at 5.30pm to the theatre box office. From
what a friend had told me we were expecting it to be sold out
and were banking on standing tickets, and indeed found that when
we got there all but two single seated tickets had sold out.
From what the staff were saying this is a pretty regular
occurrence so if you want to guarantee a seat definitely
pre-book.
We got two right sided standing tickets for £15 each. The only
action I missed was a tiny bit of front stage right and standing
wasn’t a problem, so for the money I would say they are really
good value. However, this is because I was at the end of the
standing balcony furthest from the stage, closest to the back of
the auditorium. The further along you go the worse the view
gets, until at the end you miss quite a lot of the action. The
standing area is unallocated, so it pays to get there as soon as
the auditorium opens to bag the best spot. Having had a quick
look at the standing at the back this seems fine too, but the
ceiling comes down very low making your view feel a bit
squashed.
Hannah M
_______________________ I queued for day seats; I got there at about 8am and only two
people were in front.. day seats are brilliant! O.K, it is very
close to the stage - however me and my parents are not
particularly tall people so we were fine. My dad was worried
about getting leg cramps, but I was fine... the advantages of
being short!! I knew it would come in handy some day!!
We had Charlotte on (Leanne's understudy), but she is amazing. I
thought she was brilliant, so talented, great dancing and
singing. I was disappointed to hear Leanne wasn't on, but I
wasn't disappointed with the performance at all. There was a
note to say that the role of Amber Von Tusle would be played by
her understudy (Nicky Griffiths, not Rachael Wooding), and I was
sad to hear this, but luckily Rachael came on stage - I was so
happy about that.. she is brilliant in the role really Bitchy!!
Tracy Bennett as her mum is fabulous, Ben James Ellis as Link is
amazing!! He is a fabulous dancer and has a great voice. Michael
Ball is fantastic, so so funny!! He is amazing, and the star of
the show in my eyes.
I highly highly recommend this show to everyone, it is such a
good feel show, especially at the end when everyone gets up to
dance.
I also went to the stage door and got Ben and Michael's
autographs and a picture with Ben too!
_____________________________ I just left the Shaftesbury Theatre after the matinee (8th May
2008). "Hairspray" the show, is fantastic.
Cast is strong and Mr. Ball is great on his role.
I went to the box office this morning for a day seat (Thanks to
Monkey tips and information about day seat tickets!). I was
there at 9.30am, I was the 6th in the line. When the box office
opened at 10 am there was around 15-16 people in the line. £25
is great value: sitting in front role BB17 is a "plus plus"
enjoy!
I have been to 'Lord Of The Rings', 'Lion King,' 'Spamalot,'
'Avenue Q,' 'Les Miz,' 'Gone With The Wind' and 'Chicago,' and I
will go to see 'Wicked' tomorrow night. For now, 'Hairspray' is
the best show in town!
Phongpan P.
Visitor from Thailand
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