By TheatreVillage 
0
1
I was in two minds whether to see this show or not at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. I couldn’t find actual reviews on a google search, so resorted to their own Facebook page to see reviews. The reviews on Facebook were very good, most giving it 5 stars. I still was not sure if this was a concert or not. However from what I could make out from publicity photos and a little trailer, it was going to be more of a concert style. So I booked on the whim as I usually do. I did notice a comment on Facebook before I left which said it was more a concert style performance.
The curtain rose up and in place were the instruments and podiums, a good first impression.
However the initial announcement was muffled- due to it being supposedly from a loud hailer on the car, which explained it. I found it hard to find individual performers’ names prior to this review which was unfortunate as I do like to shout out about performer’s who do well. However assistance was provided by the show and managed to get some names,
The performers in their own rights were good but what I didn’t feel was any connection from this show. If you are cooking a dish, you can either serve the food, or serve the food with flavouring. If I described this show, it performed as food would, it had the occasional sprinkle of flavouring but the taste didn’t stick.
The main two performers ( the blue brothers) were good- Chris Hindle ( Jake) and Gareth Davey (Elwood), they certainly tried to engage the audience. The audience gave cheers, and claps. However it was not a concert nor was it a theatre show, it was a mix of the two which didn’t hit the mark.
The female performer ( Megan Feltham) who sang Respect, was amazing and a was a highlight of mine, also the rawhide number by the whole of the production was good. However whilst the jokes were there and the performances, they didn’t have the sizzle factor for me.
I have been lucky to see west end performances and the talent from main characters and ensembles has been amazing. Usually with a show, I call it the magic 10 minutes, the audience switches on and the show goes up a notch. Whilst the dial turned, I didn’t see the performance during the 1st half go higher. The level of performance was on one level, it didn’t reach the crescendo I thought it would.
I only stayed on this show to the interval, I had made my judgment and in my mind it was around 6/10. However I didn’t see all the show and potentially it got much better. Certainly the Facebook reviews give glowing reviews.
I am aware that in this show, dancing and singing were allowed but this was not made clear to audiences at the beginning from the Theatre. Therefore I believe the audience were probably confused as to why some random people were standing up and dancing. Therefore for me it didn’t work as a concert for me.
I noticed some people in the audience who might struggle standing and if people stood in front of them dancing, it would have ruined the show for them. I would suggest, they have the sitters at the front and the back rows are where people who want to dance/stand can go. I’d also recommend the show not to be in the theatre, a warehouse style venue I would suggest would be a better setting. The connection was not made with the audience enough, some clapping did happen and sing-alongs but these petered out from the audience. So overall the atmosphere was not the best it could be, and the atmosphere which is what would carry a cast through didn’t materialize enough.
This show can absolutely work in the right setting and if it sorts its identity out, the setting though was wrong and should be in more of a concert venue, if people want to dance, there is not much room in a theatre!
From the reviews of this show, this show absolutely can work but for this performance this didn’t work out for me.
( Direct Link To Website) Below
