REVIEW: Welcome To The West End - The Grange Theatre, Oldham.

It has been a while since I attended The Grange Theatre and Arts Centre in Oldham (part of the college) but it was a delight to return tonight for the second night of Brit Theatre’s ‘Welcome To The West End’; a concept devised and directed by Sam Hewitt.

I have to admit that, entering the auditorium, to be met with such an opulent and professionally thought out set was a surprise and I was impressed by the standard of the lounge bar feel, complete with sofas, bar stools and an actual bar on stage(!) AND a grand piano(!!),as well as sparkle and glitz adorning the black and white theme. With excellent lighting throughout, it was the sound (some microphones were just a bit quiet at times) and slight underachievement of some individual performances that, if at all, let it down. These were very few and may have been due to nerves. I will say now that each and every person involved should be extremely proud of themselves.

Opening the sophistication with the ever dramatic ‘One Night Only’ from Dreamgirls, which meant that Dale Martin got up from pretending to play the piano to kicking the show off. Although it packed a punch and was full of impact, with the entry of dancers when it kicked in, he did have what I call ‘stiff arms/hand syndrome’ which didn’t match his impressive voice. His deep voice at the start also got lost due to the sound. Then came the prologue and title number from Little Shop of Horrors - which the team will be presenting later in the year - featuring Amy Chloessy, Nicole Ainsworth and Eve Ryan as the Chiffon-style trio with their nice harmonies.

Katie Russell embodied Cosette from Les Misérables but there was an unnecessary addition of a male voice to repeat almost every line she sang and the random ripping off of petals from a rose, before it was handed, bare, to an audience member. Nonetheless the acting and emotion were there and it was well-performed. Billy Barlow (what a great stage name!) played puppeteer to Amy Chloessy for the ventriloquist-ic ‘Both Reached For The Gun’ from Chicago, which the cast, all of whom were on-stage for the majority of the show, joined in with, adding to the professionalism of the show. The scene which led into the song was odd.

Although Dale opened the show and had more of a leading role, if there was one, the leading man and male star of the show for me was Ethan Seal whose first solo came in the form of the iconic ‘This Is The Moment’ from Jekyll and Hyde. We see and hear his talents more later in the show. With a cast of all ages, a member of the adult cast - Jayne Buchanan - joined Eve for the part of mother Edna to her Tracy from Hairspray in ‘Welcome To The 60s’ which provided fun and was full of energy, before the youngest members of the cast gave us the always amusing lyriced ‘When I Grow Up’ from Tim Minchin’s score of Matilda (yes, the Roald Dahl story).

A new one for me was ‘Fight For Me’ which I now know is from the new musical Heathers, which was performed by Eve, Ethan and Lincoln Teggart which started with the boys having a fight; one of the many segues preceding the songs that make up the packed programme. The slow motion from the sensemble throughout the whole number was brilliant. Nicole returned for ‘On My Own’, also from Les Misérables, before Dale, Katie and Nicole ‘Welcome(d) [us] to Burlesque’ from the film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. The beautiful duet from Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Suddenly Seymour, by Billy and Nicole closed the first half.

Lincoln welcomed us back after the interval, playing Gavroche from Les Misérables, with Adam Conway and Amy Pearson, for a version of ‘Little People’ and ‘Hard Knock Life’ from the more recent film adaptation of Annie which changes the words from “orphanage” to “foster kid”. David Benson and Lesley Leece made their first and only appearance of the night as Phantom and Christine in their take on the title song from the phenomenon that is Phantom Of The Opera. This was nice, despite the Phantom being very sure of himself.

Dale made his best performance of the night as King George III from Hamilton, with ‘You’ll Be Back’. I did wonder whether he was more comfortable playing camp but I guess he just relaxed into Act Two. This number was highly amusing and well-executed indeed. Eve brought us the poignant ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ as Nancy from Oliver! And we returned to Chicago for ‘Cell Block Tango’ (well, we had it coming) featuring Eve, Amy C, Nicole, Jayne, Katie and Sophie Hough.

Ethan showcased his dance skills further, as well as singing, through some Tap with fellow dancer Isobelle “Izzy” Broadbent for ‘Singing in the Rain’. Amy Chlohessy sang ‘Big Spender’ from Sweet Charity after an addition to the programme which presented us with a short scene from Dale which led into ‘This World Will Remember Me’ from Bonnie and Clyde. Jayne acted drunk for a pleasant ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ from Stephen Sondheim’s Company and Ethan was a Mormon - Elder Price - from The Book of Mormon, showing us, in a passionate way, that ‘I Believe’ - he certainly deserves the spotlight. Eve and Nicole played Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked for the show-stopping ‘Defying Gravity’ and we ended with two songs from an impactful musical called Rent: the outstanding ‘Seasons Of Love’ and ‘No Day But Today’, both with the full ensemble.

The show could well be likened to the playlist I sing along to every day in my car, on Spotify and the CDs within my glove compartment, and tonight I wasn’t alone singing along. With great use of the space, to a three-sided audience, it was a great evening’s entertainment showcasing this amazing group and getting us ready for their offerings to come in the year ahead - a Gothic horror before Little Shop Of Horrors and I bid you to support them. This show is on for two more performances so book, go and tell or take your friends.

Unsung cast members include Lewis Royle, Steve Norman (and his extra-long handkerchief), Thomas Price, Jodie Ryan, Tenique Taljard, Jacob Hushion and dancers Rachel Maguire and Emily Mackenna.

Reviewer - John Kristof
on - 28/2/19