Musicals Magazine- review

There’s a new magazine for musicals lovers on the newstands its hard to miss with the title Musicals embossed in gold. and a photo of Marisha Wallace inviting you inside.

You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but the inside of Musicals Magazine certainly lives up to its front page. Top marks to the Art Director Veeson Ho.

I especially like the use of black type. When I was involved in theatre season brochures (and web pages for that matter), I had many battles with designers over the colour of fonts and backgrounds. The fact is, black on white is the easiest to read. Interweaved with big clear photographs, this magazine is a pleasure to look at.

Which is as you would expect from Mark Allen, one of our leading specialist magazine publishers. Among the dozens of magazines this company produces are Gramophone and Opera Now. Not to mention a number of titles that sound like the guest publication on Have I Got News For You. So, they know what they’re doing and it shows.

Musicals Magazine starts with a ton of news and gossip- you might be familiar with quite a bit of it if you keep up with theatre news via other media but you’ll probably still find a few things you didn’t know. I myself wasn’t aware that Boublil and Schonberg have regained the rights to Martin Guerre and will be reviving it in 2024.

These pages are interspersed with what presumably will become regular features. Many are short interviews with musical stars dressed up in various ways. There’s Countdown to Opening Night, which in this issue features Carrie Hope Fletcher talking about her new show The Caucasian Chalk Circle. And its antithesis Countdown to Closing Night, where Sam Tutty bids farewell to Evan Hansen. In Rising Star, Anoushka Lucas, who wowed us in Oklahoma!, tells us her history and her future, and there’s Backstage with.. which is another angle on the interview with musical star format. In this case, the amazing Miriam-Teak Lee talks about & Juliet.

If you’re someone who is interested in the ‘music’ bit of musicals, two very useful features are aimed at you. Behind The Song sees Joe Stilgoe analysing Being Alive from Company. For example, he points out the effective use of particular syllables on a repeated major seventh note, and in Keeping Score Jason Carr tells us what makes Fiddler On The Roof special.

On top of that, there’s a report from Broadway, a New Musicals spotlight, and a feature that reminds us of older musicals that have slipped from view: Bring Back That Show! In this case, it seems Elton John’s Aida may be making a comeback. And finally Venue Focus, a short piece on Theatre Royal Drury Lane packed with fascinating facts- did you know it’s the only London theatre with two Royal boxes, all because a family rivalry between George III and his son.?

And that’s just the first 20 pages.

Then come the big features. Leading off is an interview with cover star Marisha Wallace. I saw her performances in Hairspray and Oklahoma! in which she lit up the stage in supporting roles. She also looks fantastic on the cover, but I’m still surprised that she is the choice for the ‘Big Interview’. I’m not talking about her talent which is undeniable but her visibility, that extra attraction that an A-lister brings, which, despite the title of the article, she isn’t… yet.

The interview is conducted by one of many heavyweight journalists who have contributed to this first issue. Edward Seckerson used to be Chief Classical Music Critic for The Independent. It’s a well organised and well written feature that offers many insights into the life, career and ambitions of a musicals performer whose reputation grows with every show.

Another journalistic heavyweight to contribute to this premier issue is David Benedict, previously arts editor of The Observer and now a stalwart of The Stage newspaper. He’s the authorised biographer of Stephen Sondheim so who better to write about three of his finest works Company, Sweeney Todd and Assassins? His analysis of is knowledgeable and informative, and written in a lively style.

On to the next feature, and another top theatre journalist- Matt Wolf, currently theatre critic for the New York Times, and former theatre critic at Variety. Here he writes about movie versions of stage musicals. He uses surprisingly long sentences for a journalist- you might be welcoming two more prime ministers before you come to a full stop- but his analysis of what’s good about the films of West Side Story, tick…tick… boom and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is thought-provoking. And that’s another point about this magazine: articles in depth on subjects that would hardly ever be covered by national newspapers and magazines. This magazine offers a rare opportunity to gain detailed insights and information on the world of musicals. I don’t like films of stage musicals anything like as much as Matt Wolf but I was intrigued to read what he believes is in their favour. It’s a world better than reading an opinion in 280 characters on Twitter.

Even the reviews which follow the features are twice, in some cases four times as long as you would expect in the so-called quality newspapers, which tend to be restricted to 300 words. Among the reviewers, we have once again Matt Wolf, reporting on Broadway’s big events. You’ll also find luminaries from The Stage such as Tim Bano and Matthew Hemley, as well as Marianka Swain formerly UK Editor in Chief at Broadway World and now a regular at the Telegraph. They all get the chance to expand on their experiences. So often media reviews focus on the West End, but here most of the shows were seen outside the centre of London.

Elsewhere there’s yet another feature on a subject you’d be lucky to see anywhere else, certainly not in this depth, namely a survey by the magazine’s editor Sarah Kirkup on the organisations and people that are encouraging new musical artists and work.

And at the back end, another treat- record reviews. How often do the dailies and weeklies cover cast recordings? Here there are about a dozen plus a couple of other albums featuring musical stars.

Just before you put down this satisfying read, there’s the bonus of the legendary Elaine Paige reminiscing on her favourite musical moments from her life. Or it could be the first thing you see if, like me, you flick through from the back.

So, lots of positive things to say about Musicals Magazine which is out now. The next one is not due until April next year, after which it will appear every two months. And while the launch issue costs £9.99, it appears future issues will cost just under £7, less if you subscribe.

If you’re a serious fan of the musical, you may wonder how you ever did without it.

For more information about Musicals Magazine visit the website musicalsmagazine.com

Paul was given a complimentary copy of Musicals magazine to review

Click here to view this review on YouTube

March 22, 2021March 23, 2021

Top 10 People of colour in Stage Musicals

Top 10 People Of Colour in Musicals

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation recently criticised the lack of opportunity given to black and minority ethnic performers in drama schools. If we don’t have more diversity in our theatres, we miss our opportunity to see the best possible shows on stage. So, let’s celebrate the people of colour who have made a major contribution to the stage musical.

10. Eubie Blake & Noble Sissel

These days blind casting, whereby, unless the part is written for a specific skin colour, you choose the best person for the role regardless of colour, has made a huge difference to the number of people of colour on stage. But racial discrimination was rife in the past. A hundred years ago, black performers were restricted to a few slots on the Broadway stage- no more than one act per show.

Frustrated by the situation, the songwriting team of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissel, got together with some other black artists and wrote their own musical comedy Shuffle Along. They managed to hire a theatre right on the edge of the theatre district. The artists feared a reaction from white audiences against a portrayal of black people in romantic situations, but this was the beginning of the jazz age and audiences lapped up the genuine article.

Shuffle Along was a huge success running for 504 performances with many spinoffs. It launched or at least helped the careers of, among others, Paul Robeson and Josephine Baker. The biggest hit from the show was I’m Just Wild About Harry.

9. Adelaide Hall

Born in 1901, Adelaide Hall was a major star in the Harlem scene of the 1920s. In 1938, faced with a lot of prejudice in the States, she moved to the UK. A year later, just after the Second World War broke out, she took part in the BBC’s first live show to be broadcast worldwide. She became a British resident and it was here that she added musicals to her resumé. In 1951 she appeared in Kiss Me Kate and then two more West End musicals before returning to Broadway to appear in the Lena Horne vehicle Jamaica and in the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. Live concerts and recordings remained her big passion and in 2003 at the age of 102 she entered the Guinness Book Of Records as the world’s most enduring recording artist.

8. Sharon D Clarke

Sharon D Clarke & in Caroline, Or Change. Photo: Helen Maybanks

Sharon D Clarke is one of the UK’s leading ladies. She began her West End career as General Cartwright in 1996 in Guys And Dolls. Over the years she’s been Killer Queen in We Will Rock You, Mama Morton in Chicago, Oda Mae Brown in Ghost and the star of the National Theatre production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Probably most will remember her as Rafiki in The Lion King, a musical that did much to give opportunities to black performers. Her leading role in the Chichester production of Caroline, Or Change won her an Olivier Award, one of three she’s won. In 2017 she was awarded an MBE for services to drama.

7. Gary Wilmot

Gary Wilmot is another of the UK’s greatest musical stars. His musicals career began with the lead role in Me And My Girl in the West End. One of his earliest roles was as Joe in Carmen Jones, the musical in which Oscar Hammerstein wrote new lyrics for a black cast to Bizet’s music. In all he’s taken part in over two dozen musicals and played Fagin in Oliver!, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Billy Flynn in Chicago. His brilliance at comedy roles may have held him back from the more serious parts his voice and acting ability make him more than capable of.

6. Ethel Waters

After she starred in Irving Berlin’s As Thousands Cheer, there was a time in the 1930s when Ethel Waters was the highest paid performer on Broadway- that’s not highest paid black performer, that’s highest paid performer of all. She began to branch out into large and small screens and was the first African American to have their own TV Show. Her biggest hit on Broadway came in 1940 with Cabin In The Sky.

5. George C Wolfe

Director George C Wolfe has directed twenty Broadway shows from Jelly’s Last Jam featuring the music of Jelly Roll Morton in 1992 to Caroline, Or Change to the revival of Shuffle Along. Perhaps his most famous Broadway show is Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk which he conceived and directed in 1996. It tells the story of the black experience in America from slavery to hip hop primarily through the medium of tap, choregraphed by the great Savion Glover. Wolfe has received 23 Tony Nominations and won five. He also directs movies, most recently directed Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom which is up for an Oscar.

4. Paul Robeson

In the early days of Broadway, it was almost impossible for black people to get exposure on what was appropriately nicknamed ‘The Great White Way’. But some white creators of shows were determined that people of colour should have their proper place in stage musicals. George Gershwin, for example, wrote Porgy And Bess in 1935, with the bets of intentions despite subsequent criticism, and Oscar Hammerstein introduced people of colour and questions about racism into a number of his musicals.

Back in 1927, Hammerstein co-wrote Show Boat with Jerome Kern which was a groundbreaker, not only because it told a serious story but because it was the first musical to feature a mixed black and white cast on stage together. The part of Joe, a stevedore, was expanded as a showcase for my Paul Robeson. Unfortunately, he was unavailable to take part in the Broadway premiere but when the show opened in London he took his rightful place in the cast. The show became the Theatre Royal’s most profitable production of the 20^th century.

At a time when black actors were mainly playing servants, Robeson brought a much needed dignity to black acting, taking on major roles in cinema and on stage, including a legendary Othello.

3. Lea Salonga

production photo of Lea Salonga in Allegiance — Lea Salonga in Allegiance. Photo: Matthew Murphy

The Filipina soprano Lea Salonga was the original Kim in Miss Saigon for which she won an Olivier Award. She reprised the role on Broadway and became the first Asian woman to win a Tony. It launched her career on Broadway where she also played the roles of Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables. She has continued to play leading roles on Broadway and in the Far East including Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd.

Notably, she had a starring role in 2015 in the musical Allegiance which explored the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2.

2. Audra MacDonald

Audra Macdonald is the first and only performer ever to win six Tony Awards.

Trained as an operatic soprano, her Broadway successes include her performance in the revival of Carousel back in 1994, Ragtime in 1998, 110 in the Shade in 2007, Porgy And Bess in 2012. Perhaps her greatest role was as Billie Holliday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar And Grill in 2014.

1. Hamilton

We started in 1921 with a musical that brought the first all black cast to Broadway. A hundred years later, the biggest show on Broadway and the West End is another groundbreaking musical featuring a cast almost exclusively of people of colour. Thanks to its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton has set a new standard for colour blind casting by employing mainly non-white actors to play people who were historically white. This casting provides a real and metaphorical illustration of the contribution of people from immigrant backgrounds can make to their adopted country, both in the USA but also here in great Britain. The number one is not one individual but all the casts that have made Hamilton a showcase for the talent of people of colour.

Two To Watch For

Here are two young people of colour destined to be major musical stars.

Miriam-Teak Lee had just left drama school when she blew everyone away with her performance in the Open Air Theatre production of On The Town. Then she got a part in the ensemble of original London production of Hamilton, followed by the lead role in the jukebox musical & Juliet, again giving a jaw-dropping performance for which she rightly for which she won an Olivier Award.

American Eva Noblezada has already played Kim in the 2014 London and subsequent Broadway revivals of Miss Saigon. She follows in the footsteps of Lea Salonga 25 years ago when she originated that role and has also followed her in playing Eponine in Les Miserables. Recently she played Eurydice in Hadestown to much acclaim. Hopefully we won’t lose her to the screen but her starring role in Yellow Rose was unforgettable.

You can see performances by many of the artists featured by visiting the YouTube channel One Minute Theatre Reviews and clicking on Playlists where you’ll find Top 10 People Of Colour in Stage Musicals.

The Box Office Radio podcast My Top Ten People of Colour in Stage Musicals presented by Paul Seven Lewis is available on mixcloud.com

November 27, 2019February 21, 2020

& Juliet at Shaftesbury Theatre – review

Max Martin’s songs power a musical triumph ★★★★

Watch the review of & Juliet on YouTube

Photo of Miriam-Teak Lee and cast in the musical & Juliet featuring songs by Max Martin — Miriam-Teak Lee and cast in & Juliet. Photo: Johan Persson

I’m pretty sure I’m not the target demographic for & Juliet but I loved it.

It’s a jukebox musical which is an art form usually well down the West End hierarchy. It features the work of Max Martin whom I’d never heard of until now. Although I vaguely recognised a lot of the songs, they arrived a long time after I lost interest in teens and twenties music. The choreography is mainly street dance, which I admire but am usually unmoved by. The plot is a love story with a strong dose of girl power which I applaud but the story is too lightweight for me.

And yet love it I did. Why? Because the songs are actually great. The performers generate enough energy to power Regent Street lights. The costumes, the set, the sound quality (great to be able to hear the words) and most of all the singing are phenomenal. If the director Luke Sheppard were a football manager, he’d be winning the Premiership.

The show features nearly 30 hits from the most successful songwriter of the last 20 years, Max Martin – songs like ...Baby One More Time, It’s My Life, Roar, Oops I did it again, I Kissed A Girl, Can’t Stop The Feeling and many more which fit like a glove around the story. The plot imagines Juliet living on after Romeo’s death and going on to write her own story.

It’s presented as a kind of workshop in which at Anne Hathaway’s insistence, her husband William Shakespeare rewrites the ending of Romeo & Juliet. She wants it to be about empowering women and about finding true love. She wants the love to spread beyond the traditional romantic leads. She even writes herself into the plot. Will tries to undermine this, partly to inject some conflict and setbacks into the drama but also to re-build his male ego.

It’s not quite F—ing Perfect (another Max Martin song). David West Read’s book has some cheesy moments, unlikely plot twists, cliche characters and terrible puns but it is all tongue-in-cheek and, as in all good musicals, you are carried along by the emotion of the music more than the words in between. And you definitely Can’t Stop The Feeling!

Miriam-Teak Lee: Stardom beckons

There’s slick street dancing choreographed by Jennifer Weber. Paloma Young’s colourful costumes nod to Elizabethan symbolism as well as today’s streetwear. Soutra Gilmour’s set joins in the fun by melding various centuries plus street art and pop culture and giving many opportunities for the principals to spin round and to rise into the air. (It’s been a good year for Gilmour with her stark dramatic set for the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Evita helping the show win an Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.)

Production photo from the musical & Juliet featuring Cassidy Janson, Miriam-Teak Lee & Melanie La Barrie — Cassidy Janson, Miriam-Teak Lee & Melanie La Barrie in & Juliet. Photo: Johan Persson

Then there’s the cast. I was exhausted just watching them. Miriam-Teak Lee is destined to be a great star. I thought she was outstanding in the Open Air Theatre producton of On The Town, this time she blew me away with her Juliet- a powerful voice and a strong character mixing strength, emotion and comedy.

Matching her is Cassidy Janson as Anne Hathaway. This musical is as much about her disappointment in her relationship with Will as anything and her poignant rendering of That’s The Way It Is is a highlight of the show.

The third in the triumvirate of strong women in this show is Melanie La Barrie as the Nurse. Her comic performance deservedly got the most laughs. She has a heartwarming mature love affair with the poised Lance, charmingly played by David Bedella, who is bowled over by love.

This is a musical in which women dominate so generally the male characters fare less well. William Shakespeare (Oliver Tompsett) is a deliberately one dimensional sexist. Juliet’s gay friend played by Arun Blair-Mangat is a cliche. His love interest Francois (Tim Mahendran) is lightly drawn. Romeo is amusingly shallow and given an appropriately preening performance by Jordan Luke Gage.

Much to my own amazement, I came out of the theatre singing I Want It That Way and I’d be delighted to see & Juliet ..Baby, One More Time.

& Juliet is performing at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. For tickets, visit the official website shaftesburytheatre.com

Paul Seven Lewis was given complimentary review tickets.

Click below to view this review on my YouTube channel One Minute Theatre Reviews