Brian Butler wonders at West End star Scott St Martyn’s latest memoir
Brian Butler wonders at West End star Scott St Martyn’s latest memoir
Brian Butler marvels at the amazing dancing in this filmed on stage Disney spectacular
‘Torch Song’ touches all the right levers and its emotional honesty and endless characters a truth, often told directly to the audience makes this play a delight to watch. The hard earned humour is as earthy as it ever was and the beating heart of hope triumphant is the constant lamp light which leads this play though some of the darkest places that living can throw at us. Harvey Fierstein’s fiercely fearless examination of loss, grief and painfully honest recovery of protagonist Arnold as he literally drags himself though life is a theatrical classic and this condensed edition gives us all the cream and goodness without feeling lite.
It’s completely unsurprising that a musical like Kinky Boots has lasted its three-year run at the Adelphi Theatre in London. With music and lyrics by the legend that is Cyndi Lauper, the slightly kitsch aesthetic and old-school sound partner beautifully together into an unexpected story of self-affirmation created from a book by Harvey Fierstein.
Written by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman, and based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, La Cage Aux Folles follows the story of Georges, the manager of a Saint Tropez nightclub, and his partner, Albin, a drag artiste and the club’s star attraction. They live an idyllic existence in the south of France but behind the curtains of this sparkling extravaganza, all may be about to change when Georges’ son Jean-Michel announces his engagement to the daughter of a notorious right-wing politician determined to close down the local colourful night-life. Drama and hilarity ensue when a meeting of the parents forces them to cover up their vibrant lifestyle. Will Albin be able to play the role of his life to ensure that Jean-Michel can marry his love?
