Showing posts sorted by date for query Kieran Brown. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Kieran Brown. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

The Barricade Boys West End Party at the Adelphi Theatre Review: Everything Great About Musical Theatre


The Barricade Boys West End Party
Adelphi Theatre
★★★★★

After extensive touring, The Barricade Boys were back in the West End last night for a heaping dose of feel-good fun. The brainchild of Scott Garnham and Simon Schofield, the Les Misérables-alumni-super-group (completed by Craig Mather and Kieran Brown) performed a maelstrom of musical theatre numbers, alongside pop, rock and swing numbers. With effortless rapport and smooth moves, it's clear to see why the group have gained such a strong fanbase who turned out in full force to the Adelphi Theatre. 

What truly sets The Barricade Boys apart is more than just their extraordinary vocal talents and impeccable harmonies. It's the genuine friendship and affection they share, and the fact that they truly seem to be having a ball on stage. Amidst their impressive musical performances and polished dance routines, they weave in personal stories and charming anecdotes from their experiences in various shows; effortlessly connecting with the audience and creating an atmosphere that feels wonderfully welcoming.

Their repertoire spans a wide range of emotions, from the heartfelt intensity of Les Misérables to the joyful doo-wop harmonies of Jersey Boys. Through this musical journey, they showcase melodies from some of the world's greatest musicians, including The Beatles, Bon Jovi, and Queen, all interpreted in a specifically Barricade Boys way. It's a show that will lift your spirits and induce pure joy and serotonin.

There's a certain charm that makes the whole thing feel superbly carefree and entertaining, and whilst there is an element of cheesiness that comes with this sort of show, the group do a spectacular job of keeping everything high quality and entertaining for all, whether they're the target audience or not.

It must be said that at some points the sound balance was a little off, with the backing slightly overpowering the singers but as a whole it was a spectacular sounding evening and the team must be applauded for balancing a show with so many moving vocals, especially for a one night only performance at this venue. It must also be said how outstanding the Barricade Band are, perfectly matching the energy of the boys as well as having a ball themselves. 

All of this plus the special guests Courtney Bowman, Fra Fee and Matt Henry, really made it an evening of musical theatre magic.

In a time when so much hatred and pain is prevalent in the world, it's such a privilege and honour to be able to escape to the comfort of the theatre, and this show is a glorious illustration and celebration of the joy and unity the art form can provide. 

Reviewed on Tuesday 17th October 2023 by Olivia Mitchell
Photo Credit: Danny Kaan

{AD PR Invite- tickets gifted in exchange for honest review}
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Wednesday, 12 April 2023

The Mousetrap (Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review


The Mousetrap (Tour) 
New Victoria Theatre 
★★★★ 

“The World’s longest running play”, The Mousetrap is a classic whodunit play that has been running for 70 years in London’s West End and is now embarking on a UK tour. Seeing this touring iteration, it's easy to see why it has stood the test of time and continues to charm audiences.

The play is well-written and tightly plotted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing until the very end; Agatha Christie proves again why she continues to be one of the most lauded and loved mystery writers. The characters are interesting, and the performances by the cast are generally strong. Todd Carty as Major Metcalf and Kieran Brown as Mr Paravicini give especially strong performances and really engage the audience.

One of the things that impressed me about The Mousetrap is how it manages to keep you engaged and guessing throughout the entire performance. The play does an excellent job of setting up the mystery and then slowly unraveling it, with each new revelation leading to more questions and intrigue. Not only this, but sprinkled amongst the mystery of it all, are some really humorous moments which go down very well and make the pacing really work.

The set design and staging of the play are simple yet effective, and the use of lighting and sound helped to create a suitably ominous atmosphere, without being gimmicky or over the top.

Overall, The Mousetrap is a fantastic play that is definitely worth seeing for two hours of escapism. Whether you're a fan of murder-mysteries or just enjoy a good story, this play will not disappoint. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling and entertaining night out at the theatre. Find out for yourself Whodunit at your local touring theatre!

Reviewed on Tuesday 11th April 2023 by Valerie Field

{AD PR Invite- tickets gifted in exchange for honest review}
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Friday, 11 March 2022

Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical Extends Booking Period


Producers have today announced that the hit production Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical has extended booking until 29 January 2023.  The critically acclaimed production has been playing to sell-out ecstatic crowds since October last year at the Lyric Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue and it has just been nominated for 4 Olivier Awards, including BestNew Musical. 

 

Producers said: “Bob’s music has a power to heal, and bring joy and life and happiness to the whole world. In these difficult times we are so pleased that audiences are feeling the positive vibrations reverberating around the Lyric Theatre which we have made our home. ONE LOVE to all nominees and welcome to our family, the brilliant Michael Duke.” 

 

This news comes as new images are released of Michael Duke who has taken over the role of Bob Marley from Arinzé Kene. Duke has been performing for 20 years, starting his career as Young Simba in The Lion King. He has appeared in the West End run of The Inheritance, West Side Story at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, Thriller Live and The Rat Pack LIVE! (all in the West End).

 

On Tuesday this week it was announced that the show had been nominated for 4 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for Arinzé Kene, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Gabrielle Brooks and Best Original Score or New Orchestration for Orchestrator Simon Hale.

Award-winning director Clint Dyer channels the creative quest and spiritual power of a universally embraced icon, in this critically acclaimed production which features Marley’s magical, revolutionary songs and a book by award-winning Lee Hall.

Lose yourself to the rhythm of 'Exodus', 'No Woman No Cry', 'Waiting in Vain', 'Three Little Birds', ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, 'Could You Be Loved', 'Redemption Song' and many more.

The explosive production celebrates the immense life and timely message of Jamaican soul rebel Bob Marley - from a life of poverty to visionary international superstar. Crucial fellow soul rebels in the cast include the sensational Rita Marley and the I Three and his inspiring brothers in arms, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Lee ‘Scratch Perry’.

 

The full cast features Michael Duke (Bob Marley), Gabrielle Brooks (Rita Marley), Shanay Holmes (Cindy Breakspeare), Sophia Mackay (Judy Mowatt), Melissa Brown-Taylor (Marcia Griffiths), Jacade Simpson (Bunny Wailer), Natey Jones (Peter Tosh), David Albury (Alternate Bob Marley) Daniel Bailey, Craig Blake, Charles Blyth, Luke Buck, Maxwell Cole, Athena Collins, Viquichele Cross, Kimmy Edwards, Raphael Estavia, Henry Faber, Cannon Hay, Llewellyn Jamal, Savanna Jeffrey, Kieran McGinn, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton, Cleopatra Rey, Julene Robinson, Lawrence Rowe, Nate Simpson, Amarra Smith, Archie Smith, Declan Spaine, Jaime Tait, Teddy Wills. 

 

‘It’s not all that glitters is gold, half the story has never been told’ 

 

From the hills of rural Jamaica, armed only with his overwhelming talent, Bob Marley applied himself with resolute determination to achieve international acclaim for his prophetic musical message – a gospel of love and unity.


photo credit: Craig Sugden

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Friday, 8 December 2017

The Barricade Boys: Christmas Cabaret, The Other Palace Studio | Review


The Barricade Boys: Christmas Cabaret (Concert) 
The Other Palace Studio
Reviewed on Thursday 7th December 2017 by Olivia Mitchell 
★★★★★

The Barricade Boys bring together some of the finest Lew Miserables alumni (Scott Garnham, Craig Mather, Kieran Brown, Simon Schofield) and finest male voices to create truly beautiful sounds and performances. The boys have toured extensively and appeared on a number of television programmes but this time they're back for a three week-residency of Christmas delights at The Other Palace. 

I've really been getting into the Christmas spirit recently with a number of festive shows and this was certainly one of the best. Entering the studio of The Other Palace we are greeted with a beautifully adorned Christmas tree and a cosy log fire projected onto the wall which sets the mood for the relaxed, warm evening to come. The boys normally perform with a seven-piece band but this time opt for a "stripped back" performance with just them and the piano (played fantastically by musical director, Noam Galperin) which further adds to the intimate feeling of the night.

The set of 23 songs was varied and extremely well put together with a mixture of festive favourites, Les Mis hits and some more unexpected songs. Standout moments included I'll Be Home For Christmas/Bring Him Home and Man In The Mirror which both featured tight harmonies and wonderful interaction between the boys. Their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody must get a special mention as it was done so well; with suitable emotion and humour to keep it entertaining and amusing, whilst maintaining the integrity and showing off everyone's unique voices.

When speaking about the goals of the group, Scott explained that they take the work very seriously but not themselves and this is exactly right. The music was faultless but made all the better by the brilliant on stage interactions where the boys bounced off one another and seemed to genuinely be having fun.

Each night a special West End star will join the boys on stage, this particular night we had the pleasure of seeing the supremely talented Michael Xavier. He performed a haunting, melancholy version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas before the boys joined him for a side splitting, Les Mis version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Michael was a lovely addition to the programme and the number of amazing guests set to appear, certainly makes me want to go back to another concert in the run.

This pitch perfect ensemble with stand out solo moments and smooth, natural, humourous on stage rapport is all you could ask for at Christmas time. For a festive, lighthearted evening of  top notch entertainment, you can't go wrong with The Barricade Boys and I would high recommend paying them a visit during their run!

 The Barricade Boys are at The Other Palace until December 23rd

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Wednesday, 28 June 2017

Scott Alan, Hippodrome Casino | Review


Scott Alan (Concert)
The Hippodrome Casino
Reviewed on Sunday June 25th 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★

The Hippodrome Casino is fast becoming one of my favourite venues as I see more and more brilliant performances. Scott Alan's concert was no exception, with gorgeous music, brilliant singers and a hilarious commentary throughout, it was a perfect night. After spending the weekend covering West End Live for Stage Faves then heading to The Theatre Cafe to see Rachel Tucker and Marisha Wallace, I hot-footed it over to the casino for a night of music from one of my favourite musical theatre composers.

I have adored Scott's music for as long as I can remember, I don't recall exactly how I found it but it's been with me for most of my childhood and I've been scouring youtube for every version of each song for a long time and have fallen in love with every single one. Although Scott has performed in London a number of times, I have never been able to attend so when I reached out to Scott on twitter and he was kind enough to offer me a ticket, my stagey heart was ready to burst and I was ecstatic that I would finally hear his songs performed live by a host of incredible performers.

Both acts were a celebration of Scott's career with the stars taking the stage to perform theirs and Scott's favourite compositions.  Scott joked how each song he writes is depressing, even his happy songs are emotive ballads which is extremely true and for me, someone who thrives on emotional, depressing music (I have playlist just for it) it was all I could've asked for.

My personal favourites of the night were the stunning Lucie Jones, who dashed straight from West End Live to perform 'Never Neverland' and 'Home' both of which were devastatingly gorgeous. Jodie Jacobs who I've been lucky enough to see in 27 and Lizzie performed 'Stay' which showed off her epic voice and Kieran Brown gave a heart-wrenching, powerful performance of one of my favourites, 'Again'. 

Another favourite section of the concert was when Scott introduced three competition winners who were each going to perform. He encouraged the audience to be extremely supportive of them both in the concert and generally in the performing industry and explained how he loves showcasing new talent. Erin Caldwell was the first of the three winners, performing 'Always' so beautifully. Her tone, clarity and control was just incredible and you could've heard a pin drop. A masterclass in graceful performance. Secondly we had Sabrina Basile with 'And There It Is', Sabrina's acting throughout the song was impeccable, her voice is effortless and beautiful but her overall interpretation of the song really made it something special. The final of the three, Bill Harvey was introduced with a candid chat from Scott about depression and how it affected him, saying that he'd felt like he was the "only person to wake up heavy" and how dark things got for him but that we can all make our way out of the darkness and heaviness. Bill performed the beautiful and emotional 'Anything Worth Holding Onto' with a sincerity which shone through and drew the audience in. 

Scott's personality is just infectious and he carries the whole concert with his own unique brand of crass inappropriateness and self-deprecating humour. There were laugh out loud moments from start to finish and the entire concert, which of course overran it's anticipated hour and a half run time by almost an hour, flew by. Scott is candid and honest and whilst he is humorous and shocking, he quickly slips into his own world when performing himself and you can see how much music means to him. I especially loved 'Simpler' which was heartfelt and touching.

As I said before, each and every performance was absolutely brilliant and I could say fabulous things about all of them but that would mean we'd be here all day! Scott's music is touching and truthful and it's crazy that the whole world don't know about it and him. If you get the chance to see Scott or any of the performers in concert then take the opportunity up and you're guaranteed a fantastic night!

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