It's still in there, David, LOL.
Thursday Matinee 16th October
Bradley/Todd/Kyria
Ah well bless my soul,
I’m All Shook Up (with apologies to Elvis). I’ve already seen plenty of stunning shows from Bradley but his masterful and brilliantly paced performance at today’s matinee was something else. From the gentleness of the Letter with Dead Mum (anyone who was not affected by this gem of emotion must have a
Wooden Heart) to the much-provoked anger (lucky for us his name is not David Banner) his acting and singing was top class and the dancin’ had power, precision and a passion that had so much to admire. From the first riff from the
Guitar Man in Angry Dance it was plain we were getting a thriller. Deka going cosmic at the end of Electricity says it all. Bradley’s smiling acknowledgement to the appreciative audience brought rounds of extra applause and cheers. I’m not sure I’ve seen him do that before but I hope he does it again. It’s a special heartwarming moment in the show that audiences love. Talking of smiles, a magnificent Dream Ballet with Barnaby was a smile-fest to remember.
Deka had earlier berated Bradley in front of the girls in the hall and I wanted to shout
Don’t Be Cruel but Bradley gave as good as he got in what was a slagging match to beat the band.
Love Me Tender this was not. The likelihood of
Peace in the Valley was not great at this point. The toilet cubicle at that moment must have felt like
Heartbreak Hotel but, never fear, (the magnificent) Ruthie was here. She may have given the impression of being a
Hard Headed Woman but
Don’t believe it. She knew that Billy was going to be her
Good Luck Charm.
New Michael, Todd, chose today’s show to break out the champagne so you can imagine what Expressing was like.
Viva Las Vegas! Wop-bop-a-loom-a-boom-bam-boom,
Tutti Frutti stuff.
The Winter Scene was most compelling, too. Deciding that it was
Now or Never he expressed his feelings to Billy before acting out his great tutu routine that is a must-see. I thought I’d seen it all but, of course, that’s a foolish thought for a BETM fan to have.
As the curtain came down
Are You Lonesome Tonight could well have been his signature song.
The role of Debbie does not, of course, require
A Big Hunk o’ Love to be on display. More likely to send Mrs. Wilkinson
Crying in the Chapel and Kyria knows exactly what is required here.
Ah, the Ballet Girls. The
Wonder of You all is that you maintain such a consistently high standard of performance in every show.
David Bardsley gave us his fantastic take on George that I can’t recall seeing for quite some time. His pièce de résistance was the front of curtain (Part 2) followed by a hilarious and purposeful Maggie Thatcher that he used to great advantage to get the audience joining in. Really joining in as a unit. This was MCMT of the year to date. All that was missing was the
Blue Suede Shoes.
I always enjoy that scene when the RBS letter arrives. They milk it for all it’s worth. It is well received in the end but, when you think about it, if Billy had had the audition in secret (which was the original idea), Dad and Tony would have marked it
Return to Sender. So, Billy’s alarm not going off in time was a blessing (rather than
A Devil)
in Disguise.
As always the news of the
Surrender of the union is heartbreaking.
I Feel So Bad just watching its aftermath unfold.
So long as we continue to get such quality of entertainment
I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine and it’s always such a great pleasure to watch the young cast
Follow that Dream.
There’s one thing, though, that’s really puzzling me. Why are the Billys now genuflecting just before they turn to walk off stage with the suitcase? Like the new Irish play,
Ballyturk at the NT, I don’t get it.
Pat