Posted 08 November 2012 - 08:55 PM
There's a lot of issues with the book in this one, along with direction. I don't know how to do spoiler tags, so please skip if you are unfamiliar with the film!!
This tries to be as loyal to the film as possible, but it's for that reason that it fails in many parts. Scenes are very, very short, the set is constantly moving every few minutes, and the iconic moments are very anticlimaxical. My favourite part in the film is in the nightclub when she's wearing that costume and head piece - yet in stage this, along with the finale - are done in slow motion. Slow motion! There's no drama, no sense of danger that a killer is near, and it loses the sense of reality.
The finale is perhaps the biggest let down - Farmer should quite literally run on stage and shove Rachel to the ground, get shot and the whole stage should cut to black, leaving the audience unsure who did get hit - just like the film. Instead, Farmer comes walking on stage James Bond style pointing his gun all over, they go into slow motion to emphasis the gun has a target light on it.
The book though, bit of a mess. For some silly reason they really make the audience believe Farmer likes Rachel's sister, but he then goes and sleeps with Rachel on their first date, with Rachel pushing it in her sisters face (which of course, is all very classy behaviour!). The only real love development comes from part, as there's something lacking in other scenes where Rachel is supposed to show complete dependence on Frank.
They try to bring the setting up to date with mobile phones etc, but major flaw - the killer enters the house and becomes a security guard - yet we had scenes previously talking about security cameras being installed! The mentions of twitter and Facebook are also out of place I felt.
One thing I did enjoy though is the actress who plays Rachel - girl can do star attitude and make it believeable! Shame about her voice. She's good at singing without a doubt, but if you want to do this musical you need someone who can not just sing, but sing Whitney. She was often lost in the music, relied on backing singers and it was only when someone else sang I felt you could really tell it wasn't always a mic issue, as they sang fine.
I Will Always Love You starts off stage, and contains a costume change during the musical interlude in the middle of the song. To do the last chorus, a platform rises, but that was all - the needed note at this part of the song was missed, which was a shame, but essential as if you are going to sing Whitney, you need to be able to do Whitney.
Best musical number was I'm Every Woman. Show ends with a singalong Dance With Somebody.
2012: Sweeney Todd - Mamma Mia - Les Miserablés - The Phantom Of The Opera - Hay Fever - Written On The Heart - The Awkward Squad - The Duchess Of Malfi - A Tale Of Two Cities - Soul Sister - She Stoops To Conquer - 13 - Noises Off - Absent Friends - Juno And The Paycock - Masterclass - Travelling Light - The Fitzrovia Radio Hour - Abigail's Party - One Man, Two Guvnors - What The Butler Saw - The Mystery Of Edwin Drood - The Sunshine Boys - Pippin - Last Of The Haussmans - The Importance Of Being Ernest - The Merchant Of Venice
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