Tezza's Theatre Place

Alexandra Doar (The Narrator) and Mark McMullan (Joseph) – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Photo Credit Pamela Raith. Back in the mists of time – well 1968 – before  Evita  and before  Jesus Christ Superstar , a young and ambitious pair of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote and presented a little musical show. Since then, the show has become a firm favourite, with audiences world-wide and especially with Schools and amateur groups with over 20,000 of them staging productions. The show is, of course  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , and I caught the latest touring production during its visit to the New Wimbledon Theatre. Now, according to the narrator (Alexandra Doar), way, way back many centuries ago, not long after the bible began, and old man by the name of Jacob (Henry Metcalfe) had a large family of wives and sons. In fact, he had 12 sons – Reuben (Paul Brangan), Simeon (Robert Bardsley), Levi (Tom Bainbridge), Naphtali (Ale...

ROCK OF AGES. Lucas Rush ‘Lonny’. Photo Richard Davenport. There are various elements that have to be in place to make a jukebox musical successful. No. 1, some great music, No. 2, a simple story that fits the music and No 3. a really strong cast to deliver the story and music. Based on those criteria, its no wonder  Rock of Ages  has been a hit, and I was lucky enough to catch the show as it touched down at the  New Wimbledon Theatre  as part of its current UK tour. According to our narrator Lonny (Lucas Rush), Sunset Strip in 1987 is the place to be if you are looking for a good time and a chance of success. Of course, then as now, the odds were against you, but that doesn’t deter aspiring rocker Drew (Luke Walsh). Although currently working at The Bourbon Room, owned by an old rocker by the name of Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy), Drew has his dream and knows that one day he is going to make it. That dream of fame also burns in the heart of Sherrie Christian (J...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/191176/jack-and-the-beanstalk-new-wimbledon-theatre-review/ Liam Tamne and Charlotte Gooch – Photo credit Craig Sugden It’s December and for most theatres, that means one thing. For the next six weeks or so, they will be opening their doors twice a day, six days a week to let hordes of happy children – along with some adults – come and experience the magic of live theatre. Yes, its pantomime season and I was lucky enough to get a trip to the New Wimbledon Theatre for the opening of their festive offering  Jack and the Beanstalk . The basic story is that Giant Blunderbore is causing havoc by raising the rent in a small village and driving the villagers into poverty. Life is so bad that Dame Trott (Clive Rowe) is going to have to sell her cow to try and make ends meet and support her two sons, Jack (Liam Tamne) and Barman Al (Al Murray). Jack is upset about selling the cow but he is also distracted as he has met and fallen in love with the b...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/169092/la-cage-aux-folles-at-new-wimbledon-theatre-review/ La Cage Aux Folles – Pamela Raith Photography Some shows really have more meaning than the writers intended for members of the audience who may have their own memories associated with them. For example,  West Side Story  was the first show I ever saw on the West End,  The Car Man  was my first introduction to dance as an entertainment form in its own right and there other examples. However for memory associations, little comes close to  La Cage Aux Folles  so you can imagine how happy I was to hear that a new production is currently doing a UK tour and I was lucky enough to catch up with the show as it touched down at the New Wimbledon Theatre. La Cage Aux Folles  tells the story of Georges (Adrian Zmed) the owner and Master of Ceremonies of a drag nightclub in St Tropez. The star of the twice-nightly show is George’s partner Albin (John Partridge) w...