Spamalot

Where: Palace

Watched it on: Saturday 14th June from the balcony

Rating: Does what it says on the (spam) tin

 Spamalot’s everything you expect it will be. Don’t expect high brow entertainment for you certainly won’t find any here. This is a musical that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And does it, for the most part, pretty well.

This is the story of King Arthur’s quest for his nights of the ‘very’ round table of Camelot, the quest for the holy grail, and the quest for a bigger part for the very well endowed lady of the lake.

The tone’s set from the word go. It’s not exactly side-splitting humour but light, chuckle-worthy fish-schlapping fun. Not all the jokes fly: there is some very surreal writing, and it’s not clear whether it’s just a bit too far over the edge when the audience are told that every west end show needs a Jew… sorry what? erm…? But on the whole if you’re not offended by a bit of toilet humour, it is on the whole an uplifting couple of hours of entertainment.

For once this was an exceptionally well cast show – full of strong voices and characterization. I didn’t get a programme for once, so if any understudies were playing I apologize, but I’m giving credit to the official cast list as follows: new appointment Alan Dale was robust, confident and relaxed as King Arthur. The Lady of the lake, Nina Soderquist, revelled in over the top vocal humour and had an enviable vocal range well suited to the part. Her numbers were belted with gusto – particularly loved ‘Whatever happened to my part’ – her expressive rendition radiated all the way up to the Gods. Other special mention should go to Lancelot (Jake Nightingale) and multi-part multi-talent Steven Kynman. Spirited, amusing, spot on.

The dancing was fairly random in parts. A mix of nicely ensembled jazz and some interesting, although misplaced street/funk. Great costumes and the cast looked like they were enjoying themselves, if a little untidy sometimes.

Set and orchestration both well done. Some very clever moments weaving in well known themes into new numbers, and the ‘always look on the bright side of life’ was a real crowd pleaser.

Without giving too much away some of the best moments of the show included some minor audience participation: you have been warned..!

All in all a very enjoyable afternoon out – thumbs up!

Marguerite

Where: Theatre Royal, Haymarket

Watched it on: Thursday 5th June, from the circle

Rating: Could do better

The probability that this show would knock me sideways were high. I rate Miss Saigon as one of my two most adored musicals. Boubil and Schonberg write blinding tunes that stay with you long after you leave the theatre. And Ruthie. Well. Ruthie’s always going to deliver.

Unfortunately Marguerite didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe I went in wanting too much. The writing wasn’t bad: the themes were classic B&S territory: war and love. It just didn’t feel real. The classic B&S felt a little tired. The returning riffs and motifs didn’t have that same emotional surge I’ve felt before (Martin Guerre being a really good example of where they’ve made it work to great effect).

What’s more the set changes were clunky. Loud and clunky. There was undoubtedly some very impressive set: the mirrored walls worked incredibly well, but the changes in and out often felt unnecessary, and were distracting.

That said, there was some strong characterization and some great talents among the cast. Ruthie, as expected, delivered a fragile yet refined performance. Her opposite, Julian Ovenden, I hadn’t come across before. Lovely strong voice, and delightful to have a member of the cast playing live on stage during the show. I didn’t really feel the emotional connection between the two, and I didn’t think the voices matched particularly well: the other tried and tested device, the multi-part B&S number, showed that both the lyrics and the voices just weren’t working well together.

Some plus points should be noted: the costumes were lovely. Particularly Marguerite’s main piece: a lovely red velvet number that rouched at one side and gave Ruthie an hour glass shape that every girl craves. The end. Without giving it away, there was real violence on that stage: I think Ruthie’s mic was actually ripped out of her costume!

I’m not saying it was bad. It didn’t make me cry, and it didn’t make me gasp, or laugh, or jump up and down. It was ok. The music had some lovely moments, and the orchestra were on the whole strong, and I’ve no doubt they’ll come together even more as the run continues. The cast are all strong, and on the whole working well together. It’s just not the best thing I’ve seen from these creators, and certainly not the best I’ve seen on the west end recently.