Re: July 2014 Reviews - London
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:21 pm
Monday 4 August
There are some occasions at the VPT you wish that the audience was a tad livelier, since they are, in essence, a part of the show. Yesterday evening, however, they needed no help and, indeed, they helped make the show the humdinger that it was. Apart from 'Last Nights' the audience was probably the most vociferous and raucous that I have been a part of for a long time. We had rhythmic clapping in Expressing Yourself and also during the skipping sequence in Born to Boogie. Clapping and cheering were commonplace, but never out of place and was done purely at the joy of watching the likes of Matteo, Tomi, Ruthie et al, performing with gusto and no little skill from start to finish.
This was the second time I had seen Matteo within the space of a few days, since I also saw his show on Saturday afternoon. Matteo has certainly grown into the role and has made great strides in recent weeks. You could say that his progress has come in 'leaps and bounds'. You can tell that he just loves being on the stage, he shows a great passion for the part, he seems to have an awareness of what is going on around him and he brings this out in his acting.
There is a clarity about the way he speaks his lines and he has a few words and mannerisms that are his own, which is good to see. For example, I like the way he sings 'Rip Off', after handing over the second 50p to Ruthie ( Mrs Wilkinson). As expected, Matteo's dancing is now much stronger, none more so that in Dream Ballet and, in particular, in Electricity, where he danced his way round the stage in fine style, with some quick spins, leaps and pirouettes. The whole audience erupted after this to give him a wonderful ovation, which he returned with a beaming smile. During Electricity I also liked the way he varied the strength of his singing voice.
A large part of the audience were so in love with the show they also applauded the Miners after they had descended in the lift shaft, going back to work.
For me, Tomi seemed to have calmed down somewhat fro his early days and acted the part of Michael very well. It was also good to see the versatile David Bardsley in the show again, this time as George.
All in all this was an excellent evening's entertainment that was thoroughly enjoyed by some 1500 people in the audience.
There are some occasions at the VPT you wish that the audience was a tad livelier, since they are, in essence, a part of the show. Yesterday evening, however, they needed no help and, indeed, they helped make the show the humdinger that it was. Apart from 'Last Nights' the audience was probably the most vociferous and raucous that I have been a part of for a long time. We had rhythmic clapping in Expressing Yourself and also during the skipping sequence in Born to Boogie. Clapping and cheering were commonplace, but never out of place and was done purely at the joy of watching the likes of Matteo, Tomi, Ruthie et al, performing with gusto and no little skill from start to finish.
This was the second time I had seen Matteo within the space of a few days, since I also saw his show on Saturday afternoon. Matteo has certainly grown into the role and has made great strides in recent weeks. You could say that his progress has come in 'leaps and bounds'. You can tell that he just loves being on the stage, he shows a great passion for the part, he seems to have an awareness of what is going on around him and he brings this out in his acting.
There is a clarity about the way he speaks his lines and he has a few words and mannerisms that are his own, which is good to see. For example, I like the way he sings 'Rip Off', after handing over the second 50p to Ruthie ( Mrs Wilkinson). As expected, Matteo's dancing is now much stronger, none more so that in Dream Ballet and, in particular, in Electricity, where he danced his way round the stage in fine style, with some quick spins, leaps and pirouettes. The whole audience erupted after this to give him a wonderful ovation, which he returned with a beaming smile. During Electricity I also liked the way he varied the strength of his singing voice.
A large part of the audience were so in love with the show they also applauded the Miners after they had descended in the lift shaft, going back to work.
For me, Tomi seemed to have calmed down somewhat fro his early days and acted the part of Michael very well. It was also good to see the versatile David Bardsley in the show again, this time as George.
All in all this was an excellent evening's entertainment that was thoroughly enjoyed by some 1500 people in the audience.