Jersey Boys and Sweeney Todd wows WOS Manchester
Happy New Year! It has been an eventful year for theatre in Manchester and this micro-site continues to grow, thanks to all of you. Many of you have entered competitions and subscribed to the mailing list and your support for WOS Manchester has been appreciated and as a thankyou, there will be more offers and prizes on the way, soon.
I hope that you all had a good Christmas and now feel rested and ready for more theatre. I spent a week in one of my favourite places on earth; California. I had a great time as the sun shone constantly and I also managed to get my fix of theatre and film in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to catch the Jersey Boys on tour at the Curran Theatre before it opens in at the Prince Edward in London.
It is a great show and so much better than it’s juke box credentials suggest. Part of this is due to Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s witty book but also those brilliant Frankie Valli and Four Seasons’ tunes.
You will remember more of them than you think with Big Girls Don’t Cry, Let’s Hang On To What To We Got and My Eyes Adored You leaving you feeling quite exhilarated. The performers I saw were wonderful and I am sure that the show will be a hit in the UK, if the cast are half as good. The audience were up on their feet at the end, without being forced. So, if you want a fun and playful night out at the theatre, this is the show to see.
I expected another Buddy yet was pleasantly surprised as this really is a cut above the usual bio pic musical. Sure, Jersey Boys is old fashioned and corny, that’s true but it’s also a hell of a fun show.
I also caught the Tim Burton film version of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Again, I was not entirely sure what to expect. I had seen a touring version of the show with an underwhelming Jason Donovan and Harriet Thorpe. But nothing could have prepared me for the beautifully blood-spattered partnership of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. This film is one of the most visually stunning delights to hit the cinema screen in years.
Folowing Burton’s ‘tow the line’ trio of movies; Big Fish, Planet Of the Apes and Charlie And the Chocolate Factory, he finally delivers the uncompromising movie you always wanted him to make. Yes, it is almost entirely sung through and yes, it is as dark as Tim’s movies used to be. It is also his best film since Edward Scissorhands and it deserves to win Golden Globes and Oscars a plenty.
So, that’s news from Stateside, but what about WOS Manchester- what’s coming up?
Well, our first newsletter will be sent out this month to all mailing list subscribers so you can see what you might have missed with regular updates.
We will also be taking a trip to London to review Avenue Q and its new cast in February and you can read all about it here. We will also have competitions galore with two tickets up for grabs for The Children’s Hour at the Royal Exchange and other great shows from this theatrical haven, including three pairs of tickets for The Wedding Singer and Joseph the tour coming soon!
So, bookmark WOS Manchester as 2008 looks set to be another cracking year!
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