Posts Tagged ‘Scarlett Strallen’
Tuesday 29 November 2016
You wait for ever for a seductively old-fashioned and tuneful period musical about a shop assistant falling in love, staged handsomely on four turntables and you get two in a row. What are the chances?
Following on the heels of the winning Half A Sixpence comes the Menier’s seasonal offering She Loves Me (book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock).
Essence It’s based on a play by Hungarian playwright Miklós László that inspired the films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail. Tinder is yet to be invented and Amalia (Scarlett Strallen) and Georg (Mark Umbers), correspond gushingly in old-style ink (hurrah!) despite never having met, until that is, Amalia wheedles her way into a job at Maraczek’s Parfumerie in Budapest where Georg happens to work. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 2 Comments »
Tags: Alastair Brookshaw, and music by Jerry Bock., Callum Howells, Dominic Tighe, entertainment, Jerry Bock, Joe Masteroff, Katherine Kingsley, Les Dennis, Mark Umbers, Matthew White, Menier Chocolate Factory, Miklós László, musical, off-West End, Paul Farnsworth, review, Scarlett Strallen, She Loves Me, Sheldon Harnick, theatre
Wednesday 22 April 2015
We must declare an interest.
UNWRAPPED: May Contain Strallens & Musical Nuts came to us not just with Strallens and nuts but contained the Whingers’ patented “Strallometer” (see below) which we created to grade any show containing one of the ubiquitous Strallen clan. It was used with our full permission and cleverly animated using technology way beyond our technical wherewithal.
For this was a one-off Sunday evening cabaret produced by Strallen père, Sandy Strallen* to show off the not inconsiderable talents of 2 of his seed (Summer and Zizi), with the “Musical Nuts” coming in the form of the Casey sisters (Natalie and Anna-Jane). One might be tempted to call them “nut Caseys”. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 3 Comments »
Tags: Anna-Jane Casey, cabaret, entertainment, Gok Wan, Leicester Square Theatre, London, Natalie Casey, off-West End, review, Sandy Strallen, Scarlett Strallen, Summer Strallen, theatre, UNWRAPPED: May Contain Strallens & Musical Nuts, Zizi Strallen
Monday 2 December 2013
Phil’s 4th Candide, and if he had a better memory he would make comparisons. So a swift read up of the Whingers’ last one (at the ENO) reminded him that, in that case, it was long (3¼ hours), gimmicky and sometimes inaudible.
But that’s what can happen if you let opera companies have their wicked way with it. Thankfully this one is shorter (2 hours 40 mins), the often brilliant lyrics entirely audible and the staging traditional.
Well, one might say traditional if one were not a Whinger. The Menier’s production is off-puttingly staged in the round. But, and swallowing hard, Phil was forced reluctantly to admit that it works. Yes, occasionally there is the discomfort of a little Linda Blair-ish head swivelling to see the performers as they cavort around the auditorium (choreography Adam Cooper), but on the plus side you’re close enough to get a hooped skirt in your face and if seated in the front row may even find yourself becoming part of the show wearing a natty red titfer. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 2 Comments »
Tags: Adam Cooper, Candide, Dorothy Parker, entertainment, Jackie Clune, James Dreyfus, John Latouche, Leonard Bernstein, Lillian Hellman, London, Matthew White, Menier Chocolate Factory, musical, off-West End, Paul Farnsworth, review, Richard Wilbur, Scarlett Strallen, Stephen Sondheim, theatre, Voltaire
Monday 31 December 2012
Inappropriately, since it was the Olympic year, we’re a bit late off the starting blocks with our highly-anticipated annual Whingie Awards.
Frankly we believed we might not need to bother. The world was going to end. Andrew had packed his onesie and headed off to Bugarach. Phil was left sitting around in his meggins self-medicating in preparation musing which shows would be the theatrical cockroaches that might survive the impending apocalypse.
The Mousetrap obviously, Phantom and The Woman in Black no doubt, though perhaps Viva Forever! should hunker in a bunker and pray.
Of course it wasn’t the end after all. The world continues and we must carry on going to the theatre. It’s a bit of a let down. But as we toast the new and possibly unlucky New Year of 2013 we’ve had our hands down the back of the theatrical sofa digging for the occasional treasure, copious amounts of fluff and the occasional best-forgotten unmentionable. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 13 Comments »
Tags: Alan Bennett, Alex Lawther, Anastasia Hille, Anna Friel, Anthony Andrews, Billie Piper, Bingo, Bully Boy, Bunny Christie, Cillian Murphy, Constellations, Damian Humbley, Damned by Despair, Debbie Kurrup, Detroit, entertainment, I Dreamed a Dream, Ian Kelly, Imelda Staunton, Jonjo O'Neill, Josefina Gabrielle, Joshua McGuire, Joshua Miles, Katherine Kingsley, Kyle Soller, London, Long Day's journey into Night, Love, Love Love., Luke Treadaway, Mark Umbers, Merrily We Roll Along, Michael Ball, Michael Longhurst, Mike Bartlett, Miriam Buether, Misterman, Mr Foote's Other Leg, musical, Nicholas Farrell, Nick Payne, Our Boys, Paul Chahidi, People, play, Posh, Privates on Parade, Rafe Spall, Rupert Goold, Sally Hawkins, Scarlett Strallen, Simon Russell Beale, Singin' in the Rain, South Downs / The Browning Version, Susan Boyle, Sweeney Todd, The Bodyguard, The Cottesloe, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Effect, The House of Bernarda Alba, The Lion in Winter, The Magistrate, theatre, Tom Scutt, Top Hat, Trevor White, Twelfth Night, Uncle Vanya, Viva Forever, west end, Whingie Awards
Monday 13 February 2012
One tampers with Singin’ in the Rain at one’s peril.
On achieving a certain maturity most sensible people (and the Whingers) come to accept that it is arguably the greatest movie musical ever made. So this theatrical version – like any other – sploshes down on the stage of the Palace Theatre from Chichester with an awful lot of soggy baggage.
And strangely enough it was a piece of baggage (a small valise to be specific) that proved the turning point in the Whingers’ evening. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 1 Comment »
Tags: Adam Cooper, Adolph Green, Andrew Wright, Arthur Freed, Betty Comden, Daniel Crossley, entertainment, Ian William Galloway, Jonathan Church, Katherine Kingsley, London, Michael Brandon, musical, Nacio Herb Brown, Palace Theatre, play, review, Sandra Dickinson, Scarlett Strallen, Singin' in the Rain, theatre, west end
Friday 17 September 2010
The scene: a luxurious apartment in BA (that’s Buenos Aries). Argentina’s foremost musical theatre actress Elena Roger is luxuriating on a chaise longue, probably eating a steak, humming a tango and idly toying with her boleadoras (That’s the sum of our knowledge about the Argentine, sorry. You’ll have to add your own colour to the picture). A telephone rings. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in West End Whingers | 43 Comments »
Tags: David Thaxton, Donmar Warehouse, Elena Roger, entertainment, Jamie Lloyd, London, musical, Passion, review, Scarlett Strallen, Stephen Sondheim, theatre, west end