| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Ruthie is the best. Puts ALL others to shame! - Janet J. | 03 Jun 09 |
| I've only just discovered this website. I saw Marguerite in the summer and absdolutely adored it. At last, an intelligent, thought-provoking musical with one of the most beguiling scores I've heard in ages. Ruthie Henshall gave a masterclass in how to perform a song (in fact, several songs) with the lyrical drama, passion and poignancy that only experience can possibly attain. Her stellar, fabulous performance was one of a lifetime and the best thing she has ever done. Joining her were Julian Ovenden, possessor of one of the West End's best male voices and the always reliable Alexander Hanson as a particularly frightful Nazi. Translating Camille to wartorn Paris was an inspiration and Paul Brown's luscious design was awesome. Divine decadence with an edge. I was so disappointed that it didn't run but it was probably too hard a sell. Art isn't easy but it is definitely worth it. - DJ | 20 Jan 09 |
| I would like to add to my previous pos t by saying that I payed £60 for my ticket and still thought it was good value. I am saddened that I, of 16 years, seem to have better musical taste than some of you put together - anon | 06 Dec 08 |
| I am confused by the reviews below, did we see the same show? I saw the last the last matinee and it was absolutely incredible. I went mainly to see Ruthie, as I am a HUGE fan of hers but had never seen her live. She didn't dissapoint. It confirmed my belief that she can't be beaten as a performer. She and Julian Ovenden had great chemistry, and sucked me and much of the rest of the audience into the story. The score was beautiful, the set was incredible and it was the best cast you could ask for (Annalene Beechey is clearly destined for great things). Judging by the ovation Ruthie and the rest of the cast received that day suggests to me that most people here are in the minority. What a shame that you can't appreciate a good new musical, in a time of Never Forget/Jersey Boys/Buddy and all the rest of that crap. Or is that just your taste? - anon | 06 Dec 08 |
| I thought Marguerite was a musical that had a lot of potential, but frustratingly it never seemed to reach it. Music, story and scenes theoretically should have been moving but something in the delivary was missing. I am a big fan of Ruthie Henshall, and in fact she was one of the reason's I was so keen to see this musical, but I have to say this role was not for her at all, I spent a lot of time she was singing just hoping she would hit the notes. Julien Ovendon was very good and I think Annalene Beechey has a good future and I loved Gay Soper's "Paris". I'm glad I saw this show, but it could have been so much better. - MKEA | 27 Oct 08 |
| PS and was well p'd off to find i was the only one paying £63.00 in the row,all the rest were £25.00 - dave woolrich | 12 Sep 08 |
| Evening Wed 10th Sept 08 Stall row L. LOVED it BUT VERY disappointed in Ruthie Henshalls performance. She couldn't hit some notes and each and every cast member outshone her in every way. I praised her on the Cast CD so maybe she just couldn't be bothered? Her acting was poor also. I have always thought she's over-rated after seeing her in Chicago. Why did she expect to get all the applause at the end tonight??? A true musical instead of the rubbish around like Never forget etc. What a shame it's ending. PURE CLASS. - dave woolrich | 11 Sep 08 |
| Although the musical was good, I am so disappointed by Henshall....did not expect such a poor performance, although after research she might have been the right person for the part....not for the singing! The other cast members just accentuated that it was not the listener....there was something terribly wrong the clarity of the lyrics, the tones, the pace, and her lack of Charisma with Julian.
Annalene Beechey was great, as was Gay Soper (why did they not have a time for praise for her during the musical or at the end for the stellar performance (hmmm)....I am surprised by the comments below, as if people are giving a past diva credit beyond a horrible performance..(unless there was one I missed where she hit notes, high or low)...never seen something like this (glad I only spent 25)....HOWEVER, the rest of the show was great...and the rest of the singers....I really feel sorry for them...and pity when emotions get in the way with true honesty..and it sours the whole lot. Perhaps that is whey they are canceling for September rather than November.... - Debbie | 06 Sep 08 |
| I loved it - it is a beautiful score, a fantastic set and performed by a great cast. Very sad that it hasn't done as well in the box office as it deserves to. Catch it while you can ... - BLH | 04 Sep 08 |
| I saw Margerite again last night and what a superb new musical this is. Julian Ovendon has the best male voice I have heard on the westend stage for quite some time. The whole production and cast are first rate and when it closes after its limited run at the Haymarket I hope this musical will go on tour as I would definately see it again. - ILS | 21 Aug 08 |
| I haven't seen the show yet, BUT I have purchased the Original Cast Recording and LOVE this score.
I always do this otherwise a musical is just a vague mixture of unfamiliar tunes. It took a few plays to sink in but now I can't stop playing it. The harmonies are awesome. Ruthie sounds great.
I have a stalls seat for Sept' 10th eve and now can't wait. I've also watched the DVD Camille (1936!!) Greta Garbo which gives the story. Got it on Ebay.
I'll update when I've seen the show, anyone who is going...BUY THE SOUNDTRACK FIRST! - dave woolrich | 19 Aug 08 |
| Apologies for my hasty spelling below...I really do know their from there!
- rds | 16 Aug 08 |
| I agree with just about everything andydjp has written here, although you may want to wait for the paperback version to appear - Gawd! I think I write too much! This show moved me, but only in the bowel department. It has serious book trouble Boublil and Schönberg being the writers, but Jonathan Kent is credited too and it is for that reason and that alone that I took the risk with this show. I hadn't expected much from Messers Boublil & Schönberg not since Miss Saigon. There next foray Martin Guerre was not, I thought, a success. I made the mistake of giving the show another go when the Watermill did it recently, within five minutes of that production I realised why I had walked out of it the first time round. It's old fashioned tosh and should not have seen the light of day again. One or two songs don't make a show. I must be a masochist beacuse I threw caution to the wind and went to see there next offering, The Pirate Queen, in NYC last year. It was dire, camp, trash. Although I must say its Queen Eliazbeth should have got a special Tony for her totally over the top camp performance, with a new cossy for every song, and songs that were so bad they were....well...good? - good for a laugh anyway! The Irish president sat behind me that night along with her retinue. God knows what the poor woman made of it, I was too embarrassed to turn around and ask. And now the boys have gone and done it again with this old tosh, will no one save them from themselves? I can only suppose they are using some of their own vast fortunes, accumulated from Les Miz, to put this on otherwise how else would they have done so? Surely there aren't backers out there daft enough to have not seen through this show at the first read through? Julian Ovenden gives us vocal gymnastics worthy of an Olympic gold medal, unfortunately he does it every time he opens his mouth! It's a glorious voice of course, but even so! Miss Henshall is less than convincing as Marguerite and the rest of the cast similarly fail to inspire, Alexandre Hanson as Otto, her German officer lover, is so wooden he probably understudies for the set, but I can't confirm that as there's no mention in the program.
Talking of the set, it must have cost a fortune, but unlike some reviewers experiences here, it worked perfectly the night I went - my two stars are for it alone. What a pity it had to display this old fashioned concept of a show. It's on occaisions like this I come out of a theatre thanking GOD ALMIGHTY for his small mercies and the glory of Mr Stephen Sondheim, Messrs Rodgers and Hammertsein/Hart, Mr Cole Porter, and just about the whole American songbook. The boys from France really are a one hit wonder, Miss Saigon excepted. Stop wasting our time and our money and your time and your money and instead set up an Academy for Musical Theatre to encourage new young writers to get into musical theatre to develope the shows for the 21st century. That would be something well worth spending the money on. - rds | 16 Aug 08 |
| 'sex, songs and swasticka's what more could you want' is the phrase flashed around central London and indeeed what attracted me 150 miles to central London to see this show.
well what more could i want ... well ... quite frankly SONGS! A main ingredient for a musical i feel. The song writers have made two of the most painful musical characters ever the leading lady needs to be able to hit highest of high notes 2/3 times a verse allowing only for cats to understand what she is saying and the leading man is reduced to do nothing but shout out of time with anyone and everyone else on stage. All terrible musical have one song thats good despite the show (Carousel for instance)this does not, two ok songs all the rest were very poor.
What more do i want ... as for the swastickas and sex many a good musical has been made without either of these and as Marguerite has neither of these it really shouldnt say it does.
so what do i want... well if you have 6/7/8 revolves on the stage dont let the presenters from blue peter make the tree a truely awful effort in set creation. Also if the leading man is supposed to half Marguerites age, why isn't he????
and most importantly of all give the show some heart there is never a time to care for Marguerite there is no balance in the show. no soul, no heart no songs and no love
without the hype it may have considered giving it 3/5 - matram | 01 Aug 08 |
| And welcome to Marguerite...
Featuring Les Miss Saigon.. and Aspects of Evita.. sponsored by Cabaret and some bits left out of Martin Guerre..
Even before the performance last night.. (Wednesday) ground to a halt because of a technical hitch...(How long has it been running?? How much are full price tickets???) There was a distinct feeling of something not quite right with Marguerite.
The opening segments were delivered in an almost amateur style.. big stilted moves .. big made up faces.. it was already beginning to whiff of the almost identical.. and equally overdone sequence in Evita... "tarts have become the sect to know"
I am sure .. just as so many others we were all willing Marguerite to do well .. but by the end of the show it was clearly not going to happen. To begin with, there should be some 'trade descriptions' issues with the ecstatic reviews.. one I recall claiming that this show sets a new bench mark for musicals !!.. If indeed it does then the new benchmark is ... 'low'
It's a real indication of the weakness of the musical itself that all of the most powerful moments where when there was no music at all. And even then .. to match the elevated style of the musical .. these were a little overdone.. Coronation Street does Bent.. but without the balls.... Marguerite however does raise the benchmark for 'musical shouting'... and for overly complex contrapuntel sequences.. (At least 4 people all 'shouting' at the same time) Unless the poor audience scrambled for the lyrics in the programme it was often unclear who was shouting what at whom at any time...!! One was left quietly longing for a nice bit of 'One Day More'.. at least there was some craft there..you could hear each phrase..
Ruthie Henshall.. seemed to miss many of the top notes.. and seemed to be disturbingly off key in some of the quieter sequences.. she also seems to have developed a singularly unique style of dropping the last notes...perhaps in the hope that they might catch up with the tune on their way down...She has tremendous presence.. even without her shoes on... but we only became truly concerned about Marguerite when she and everyone around her stops singing...
It was a real shame that the set only worked occasionaly in some of the luxurious interior sequences .. then seemed to hang around looking bored with little else to do for the remainder of the locations.
Perhaps the primary fault of this musical that is 'destined to put musicals back on the map'.. is that the music itself is the weakest link in the collaboration. There were no really outstanding motifs .. no show shattering numbers..no really surging passages to lift the emotional context of the piece.. ironically .. the great sweeping .. gushing.. emotional phrases so often associated with Boubil and Schonberg.. were exactly what this piece lacked.. as someone else has already said.. at the emotional climax of the piece.. after even more 'wanna be' Michael Ball shouting..Armand toddles off.. into the backlight carrying poor Marguerite.. (And .. sorry.. but it was annoying that he was wearing his jacket at the end!!!!! and not at the beginning!.. even my Yr 11 students have a better grip of flashback continuity!!!)There was not a wet eye in the house.
This production has almost entirely missed the opportunity offered by the musical genre itself to lift and heighten emotional moments by the theatrical use of music and climax.
We left the theatre.. decidedly un moved ..and a little frustrated.. and stared in awe and confusion once again at the magnificent and frankly unfulfilled claims spalttered all over the posters in the street outside.
Massive irony of all .. we had seen Brief Encounter in the afternoon ..just across the road... which did, in it's own little way capture much more stifled eroticism .. and razor sharp risk and danger in the forbidden relationship... It's much better and you get free buns!! - andydjp | 31 Jul 08 |
| Now, let's get this straight - Ruthie Henshall is an amazing acctress and singer (she even managed to make Woman in White good!!) and no one can sell a ballad like her. This is just in completely the wrong part of her voice though and to be honest it is pretty poorly written.
That said, I do like this musical - I just wish their had been more development of the story and music in places. It lacks motivation - there is more motivation in the resistance back story - which did actually move me (Annalene Beechey is also a wonderful performer) - I just didn't feel attached to Marguerite enough to be moved.
The one almost show stopper is also a bit naff - Paris - I just feel it tries to something it's not - Gay Soper sings it very well though. I have also seen Lucy Williamson singing this part - also excellent.
So to sum up, fantastic performances, well staged and I really like the concept, basic score and ideas - just wish it had been developed a lot more! - AA | 27 Jul 08 |
| Shame on you Kel! Identikit songs? From which show pray and which song? When I say 'critics' I was, of course, referring to professional critics and I must assume that you are not one of those. If you find such material lame then I feel a bit sorry for you! - JC | 25 Jul 08 |
| Very dull, insipid musical, matched by mostly colourless performances from the cast. I hadn't seen Henshall on stage before and am interested by Sarah's comment below about it not being her best work, as I found her generally underwhelming and her singing clinical & soulless. I had no sense of why this affair would even happen, it was unbelievable. For me, Alexander Hanson carried it, as he did in The Sound of Music. By the way, if you like this production, fair enough - but why do some of its supporters have to resort to juvenile sniping at those of us who didn't click with it? I'm a grown-up, J C - just deal with the fact that some grown-ups will, like me, find this show a bit lame and not because we're "too used to simplistic melodies" - which is a bit rich considering the dreary cliche-ridden identikit songs in this production. - Kel Varnsen | 22 Jul 08 |
| A beautifully staged dramatic, classy musical - something of a rarity in a pop infested West End right now. Whilst somewhat vocally restrained Ruthie Henshaw gave a powerful performance in an underwritten role. Julien Ovenden was a revelation and I could listen to him sing forever! Alexander Hanson almost made me feel sympathy for him. Very clever use of the chorus who were superb and a terrific solo from Gay Soper. This show has got it all, plus a beautiful and emotional score. Altogether a stunning evening. What is wrong with the critics? They must be too used to the simplistic melodies that proliferate the current musical trends.
This show is for grown-ups!
- J C | 20 Jul 08 |
| Dreary score with an often risible 'Allo Allo' story, in pretty dodgy taste. The cast did exceptionally well with the third rate material. More proof, if ever it was needed, that there are FAR too many musicals in the West End. - joesmith | 18 Jul 08 |
| Surprised to hear the part was written for Henshall as it is too high for her and the upper notes were pretty awful. I love her normally but this was not her finest hour. Simon Thomas as understudy was good but again not great up high. I think this may have been down to the music rather than the performers many melodies wound around and used a few too many half tones. China Doll however is the standout haunting melody. In fact in a musical that kept on returning to the same themes again and again not enough was made of China Doll. The clarinetist was brilliant as was Hanson as Otto. Sad to see the theatre only just over half full already with flyers being handed for you to return for half price. Not a good sign. - Sarah | 08 Jul 08 |
| The main reason I went to see 'Marguerite' was because the score is written by Michel Legrand. Disappointing. The music is bland - it's either slow ballad or martial and Legrand dosen't respond to the words (when you could hear them)adequately enough and the orchestration was uninteresting. On the night I went, there was something wrong with the sound balance. The voices were curiously recessed and distant and it was difficult to pick up the quiet dialogue, even from the seventh row in the stalls. Ruthie Henshall has an annoying habit of singing through her teeth which put another layer of incomprehensibiity on the words. I found the secondary story concerning the resistance fighters more interesting. The stand out performance for me was Gay Soper as a chanteuse in a nightclub.She was lucky to have one of the better songs and made the best of it.
- Trevor Harvey | 21 Jun 08 |
| Solid 3 stars, one for Julien Ovenden's voice alone, the rest for the story, inevitably good as it's tried and tested and the rest of the cast. This music is nice but not memorable but it is refreshing to see something other than a tribute show of film rehash in the West End! - BL | 17 Jun 08 |
| An excellent musical with some great acting and singing especially from Julian Ovendon and what a superb set design. Definately one I would see again. - ILS | 16 Jun 08 |
| Les Miserables and Miss Saigon are still my two favourite shows so I really hoped that Marguerite would be a return to form for Boubil and Schonberg. Their book transfers Dumas' tale to occupied Paris extremely successfully and it is very brave to base a musical around such an unsympathetic character as collaborator Marguerite. If anything the show could be a bit longer to give more depth to the characters, particularly Otto, Marguerite's Nazi lover, and resistance fighters Annette and Lucien. Unfortunately Michel Legrand's score is disappointing with no songs that could survive outside of the context of the show. Too often characters sing different melodies over each other which sounds a mess, not helped by an indifferent sound system. Ruthie Henshall and Julian Ovendon are excellent in many ways but their voices do not blend well. I don't know why Claude-Michel Schonberg decided not to write the score but I really missed his quasi-operatic grandeur and unforgettable melodies. In their absence Marguerite is a very good play but not the graet musical I so wanted it to be. - David Baxter | 04 Jun 08 |
| Its fantastic.. what a wonderful refreshing show.. An absolute stellar ensemble. I would recommend this show to everyone! At last a proper musical again!! Oh joy!! - Jim | 01 Jun 08 |
| I thought the show was absolutely amazing. It did follow a traditional 'love story in the war with lots of difficulties along the way' storyline but the acting was incredible. I was drawn in to the suspense and the emotions of the actors. - Amanda Sands | 31 May 08 |
| Very well directed and performed but it's dated ,over familiar plot, and the music - apart from excellent chorus work - is dull. The two leads have exceptional talent but deserve better material.EXPECTED TO BE SHAKEN BUT WASNT EVEN STIRRED. - JOHN RAYMOND | 29 May 08 |
| Finally a decent new musical in the West End! It may bot be to everyones taste but at least one venue in London is taking a risk and we need to support them! - Fi | 28 May 08 |
| Superb cast and a simply stunning score let down by a one dimensional story and truly awful script...
Standing ovation the night I was there... mainly for Ruthie I think. - S | 27 May 08 |
| Amazing show. The set is fantastic and so is the cast. Runthie Henshall in particular stood out, with that superb voice and stage presence we are all familiar with. However, if you are looking for a jolly day out at the theatre then I would advise you to see Grease or Never Forget - the kind of meaningless nonsense that puts shows like this in a completely different league. The fifth star here isn't hanging by a thread - it's fully deserved. - PQ | 26 May 08 |
| Brilliant show. excellant cast, ruthie henshall spectacular as always and extremely pleasant to speak to. also an outstanding performance by julian ovenden although when asked wether his understudy could play the piano well enough replied he is learning! lets hope he is not needed any time soon. will definitely purchase this cd but could have to wait a while as it still hasn't been laid down. - cath | 26 May 08 |
| I can see that this musical is not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. All the cast are excellent, and Ruthie Henshall is simply incredible. The music is subtle but hauntingly beautiful and the plot is terrifying and thought provoking. This is the best new musical to premiere in London for years. - fan | 26 May 08 |
| A wonderful piece that left me with a lump in my throat, I was so moved. This relates with truth to many episodes that really happened in WW2 - the post-war finger pointing and only the person who actually was "sleeping with the enemy" getting the blame - even though many others had benefited. The acting and singing is wonderful from all; the music is fantastic! I will definitely go and see this show again as it's worthy of seeing more than once. - LR | 24 May 08 |
| The best show I have seen in ages - a truly beautiful piece of theatre. It was so nice to see a show that doesn't rely on catchy pop-like tunes to keep people interested - the music was just beautiful! The cast is perfect - Ruthie Henshall is sensational (she really does put a lot of newer actors to shame) as was Julian Ovendon as Armand and Alexander Hanson as Otto. Annalene Beachey was also truly spectacular as Annette. This show is an absolute must! - A | 23 May 08 |
| I thought it was best show I've seen in the last year. The music was fantastic and the whole cast are just great. After rubbish revivals like Joseph and pointless jukebox shows like Jersey Boys this show brings a much needed breath of fresh air to the West End. Ruthie Henshall is just sensational. - Cerys | 22 May 08 |
| The show opened and showing a woman being tortured by well dressed people, and it seemed to get no better from here on in..
The story was not very inspiring the cast tried their hardest to make something good out of it but it just was not happening, no WOW factor, even the music didnt give that goosebumps effect of something that really moves people... in fact at some points where the cast had 3/4 members all singing at once it was had to distinguish what the words actually words and they bacame just sounds and badly harmonising ones.
I was lucky enough to get see this show with complimentary tickets, however if I had to pay for them I would have felt very let down and disappointed. - Caroline | 22 May 08 |
| I saw Marguerite pre-opening on the 17th. I thought the music was good if somewhat bland, but there are at least two very memorable songs. Ruthie Henshall, in the title role, gave a stellar performance as did Julian Ovendon as Armand her boy toy & Alexander Hanson as Otto her Nazi officer meal ticket. That said, I never really connected with the mercenary Marguerite nor the obsessed Armand. I felt more empathy for the mercurial Otto who truly loved her and begs her to "pretend" to love him & that will be enough. But it's not their fault. They are burdened by a barely discernible story in which the sub-plot is more interesting & the music never rises above the mundane. The abrupt ending left the audience a bit bewildered (& wondering what had been cut out.) Considering the original source, this could have been a knock out show. All of the collaborators appear to be holding back. Taking chances takes great courage but if you can pull it off, it rewards both the writers & the audience. I loved the rich orchestrations & the passion of Martin Guerre (the Olivier winning version)& I had very high hopes for Marguerite. Sadly they were not fulfilled. - K. M. Cavuoti | 22 May 08 |
| I thought it was spectacular! The music was beautiful and the cast were so tights and professional. You have threee of the best performers in the West End all on stage together. Julian and Alex are both so gorgeous! - John | 21 May 08 |
| Biggest failing? The complete lack of any chemistry between Henshall and Ovenden. They fail to rise above the trite script (a great sweeping love story, with bog-standard dialogue that would not be out of place in an episode of Eastenders). The set was pretty good if slow-moving, and Hanson made an interesting character out of a potentially two-dimensional cypher. But all in all, a huge disappointment with pleasant, unremarkable music. - Jackson | 21 May 08 |
| I totally loved this. It got a truly deserved standing ovation the night I was in. Ruthie is class, and it has a great powerful ensemble. I was captivated! - SL | 21 May 08 |
| Can't believe that people did not like this. I don't think that it is supposed to be a musical in the same mould as Les Mis and I think that is what people are confused by. Les Mis is an all time classic but relies heavily on dramatic melodies taken from Puccini and those are what provide the emotion. Marguerite seeks to have some subtle, haunting music and is more about the emotion that the performers bring out of the music. In my opinion, the music is excellent and the performers showed true feelings which so often does not happen. If you can only feel emotion from watching Hollywood films then you probably won't enjoy this. If you can appreciate musical subtelty, then you will love it! It totally deserves a four-star rating. - Duncan | 21 May 08 |
| For a world premier musical this is brilliant! The Haymarket theatre is the perfect setting. The music was so moving the entire theatre were on their feet and most of the woman were crying. Welcome back Ruthie! - Bec | 20 May 08 |
| Very disappointing - JH | 16 May 08 |
| A great disappointment. Music was nice but unexceptional. Singing and performances good but the direction and staging were static and uninteresting. The whole opening section with the high rollers in the apartment was a cross between Allo Allo and The producers. I was only thankful that the Germans didn't have 'comedy' accents! As mentioned before the ending was very uncertain and the final applause was without great enthusiasm. A great shame as we all had great hopes for this show given its provenance. - Peter Joly | 16 May 08 |
| Lazy, dire script, music and lyrics. No emotional resonance despite chucking in any and every possible "tragic" element. Simply riddled with cliches. Should be ashamed of wasting acting and musical talent of a great cast. Sorry about previous re-post - I really did mean to give one star, and that's generous, out of sympathy for cast - Jude Nicholls | 16 May 08 |
| Lazy, dire script, music and lyrics. No emotional resonance despite chucking in any and every possible "tragic" element. Simply riddled with cliches. Should be ashamed of wasting acting and musical talent of a great cast. - Jude Nicholls | 16 May 08 |
| Lazy, dire script, music and lyrics. No emotional resonance despite chucking in any and every possible "tragic" element. Simply riddled with cliches. Should be ashamed of wasting acting and musical talent of a great cast. - Jude Nicholls | 16 May 08 |
| A musical opening soon after Gone With The Wind could consider itself lucky, but this one doesn’t really need the luck. It’s a chamber piece rather than the epic of Les Miserables or Miss Saigon by the same writers. The latter was based on Madam Butterfly and this is a modern La Traviata. It’s a great story, cleverly relocated to the Second World War, with gorgeous music, terrific lyrics and a small but highly talented ensemble and a small but lush orchestra. The show really suits the TR Haymarket (pity about the obscene programme and drink prices though!), the staging is impeccable and the excellent sound (for once not over-amplified) ensures you hear every word. Ruthie Henshall is perfect casting and rises to the challenge of the part (though she was thrown around so much I was wincing!). I know Julian Ovenden’s work less, but this is a star turn. There’s a certain frisson seeing Alexander Hanson’s menacing Nazi general soon after his Nazi-hating Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and it’s another fine interpretation. I was immensely impressed by Matt Cross in Days of Hope at the Kings Head last year so its great to see him deliver another excellent performance as Pierrot, alongside equally excellent performances from Simon Thomas and Annalene Beechey In these important supporting roles. This show comes in at just under half the length of GWTW but packs twice the emotional punch. I loved it, but will the critics?.....whose indifference to Les Miss sits alongside Decca’s rejection of The Beatles as one of history’s great errors! - Gareth James | 16 May 08 |
| VERY derivative of Les Mis and some horrible clichés in script and lyrics. Could probably have been cut down to a one-act show with its thin plot. No variation in tone made it a little dull. Great orchestra and vocal performances. Two or three good songs. Abrupt ending left the audience uncertain that it had finished! - Francesca | 15 May 08 |
| VERY derivative of Les Mis and some horrible clichés in script and lyrics. Could probably have been cut down to a one-act show with its thin plot. No variation in tone made it a little dull. Great orchestra and vocal performances. Two or three good songs. Abrupt ending left the audience uncertain that it had finished! - Francesca | 15 May 08 |
| VERY derivative of Les Mis and some horrible clichés in script and lyrics. Could probably have been cut down to a one-act show with its thin plot. No variation in tone made it a little dull. Great orchestra and vocal performances. Two or three good songs. Abrupt ending left the audience uncertain that it had finished! - Francesca | 15 May 08 |
| It's well worth going just to hear Ruthie's beautiful voice and the amazing glass set - Andrew Scott | 15 May 08 |
| Enjoyed the show, felt that it could do with a couple of more upbeat numbers, for example China Doll could have a more happy sound. It was all rather serious and nothing lighthearted to vary the pace. But still enjoyed it. - Valerie | 15 May 08 |
| It wasn't what I expected, for me the the main players were fixed in an unalterable journey to the ultimatate conclusion of Marguerite's death. To me Marguerite's illness was imposed from without with Paris and its corrupted colaborators being the desease which eventenually 'excecute' her.
I was disapointed by the second half as it was short 50 mins and didn't further explore the character main or 'Paris' but mearly completed the predetermined downfall of the protaganists.
To me this was a play sung in parts but it had an emotion that could have easily been presented in other ways .e.g. dance. - Chris S | 15 May 08 |
| Superb singing, staging and costumes marred by a Mills and Boon script - opening scene didn't add anything - hope it succeeds for the sake of the brilliant cast - Jean | 15 May 08 |
| What a waste of talent. The brilliant cast struggle valiantly with an appalling, banal, cliche-ridden script and tuneless, simplistic music. Lyrics are often laughable. There's no real sense of time and place (the sets and great costume design are overwhelmed by the daft script)and little emotion, despite the publicity claims and the opportunities afforded by cast and story the musical is based on. Not a wet eye in the house at the end. - AJ | 15 May 08 |
