Cilla the Musical returned to Greater Manchester to perform at the
beautiful Lowry Theatre, Salford and the opening night saw a packed auditorium of theatre
goers and Cilla Black fans eager to see Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield’s
cleverly adapted musical about the rise to fame of the lovable Liverpudlian
from Scottie Road.
Dependent on your age you will know Cilla Black for
differing reasons. If you’re younger you will know her through the TV shows
Blind Date and Surprise Surprise more than likely, however there was much more
to this Liverpudlian icon as she was one of Britain’s biggest selling female
singers in the mid 1960’s with 2 hits reaching number 1 and 11 top ten hits in
a period of 5 years.
It all starts with a young Cilla dancing in a club in
Liverpool called The Cavern and being dragged up on stage to sing with an up-and-coming four-piece band called The Beatles. Cilla, being close friends with the
band members, is introduced to music mogul Brian Epstein which changes Priscilla
White’s life forever.
Cilla the Musical is a rollercoaster of breath-taking highs
and heart-wrenching lows in the modern day fairy-tale of a young girl who
followed her dream of fame and fortune and an incredible insight into Cilla and Bobby’s love story, with an amazing snapshot of the music of the 60s
featuring some pretty big bands such as The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers
and The Mamas And Papas, all played out with a background of family
struggles including religion and prejudice.
Kara Lily Hayworth plays the part of Cilla through the
years and to say that she is stunning in the role is a slight understatement. This young lady who originally queued for four hours at London’s Dominion
Theatre during the first round of auditions for the role with her final
audition at the Cavern Club in Liverpool stunned tonight’s audience when she
belted out Cilla’s first number one hit ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ where I
definitively had a goosebump moment. Executive Producer and Son of Cilla Black,
Robert Willis is quoted as saying: “We wanted somebody who wasn’t going to
impersonate my mum but someone who could capture her spirit… when I saw the
response of the audience at the Cavern; I knew she was the one my mum would
have wanted!” and 'wow' she certainly does! Kara is perfect for this role and is a
truly believable Cilla with pitch perfect vocals as she sang classics such as
‘Love of the Loved’,’ You’re My World’, ‘Alfie’, ‘Don’t Answer Me’, Liverpool
Lullaby’, ‘Step Inside Love’ and ‘Something Tells Me’.
Alexander Patmore gave a phenomenal performance as Bobby
Willis - Cilla’s boyfriend (and future husband) with a perfect blend of humour,
stage presence and vocal excellence. His character was warm, loving and
unbelievably loyal and his rendition of ‘A Taste of Honey’ was outstanding.
The costumes as well as Gary McCann’s set design were perfect for
the Swinging Sixties style; the set recreated the Cavern Club with its red brick
walls and raised stage encircled by dancing teens, Abbey Road Studios,
Liverpool’s Scottie Road, The London Palladium, TV studios, and finally the elegant bars of America. The
set moved seamlessly and was incredibly authentic with stunning lighting by
Nick Richings and sixties dance choreography by Carole Todd equally enhanced
the visual delight of the entire show.
The incredibly talented and versatile cast worked well
together to create this brilliant masterpiece into the insight of Cilla Black
and the era of the swinging sixties music scene,
The only criticism I have to
the casting was that of Cilla’s mother ‘Big Cilla’ as the actress looked
younger than Cilla’s pals Pat and Pauline and her character felt slightly flat
as the boastful but humorous mother. Other than that one slight niggle, I can
certainly say that no one left disappointed by the end of the evening and if
you see one show this year make it Cilla the Musical as it the most
heart-warming and magnificent 5 star theatrical masterpiece.
Reviewer - Katie Leicester
on - 28/8/18
Great review
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