Wednesday 29 August 2018

REVIEW: Cilla: The Musical - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.




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

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