Book of Mormon – I Believe

I’ve been listening to Book of Mormon on Spotify recently – and it’s inspiring a new blog, so in the meantime a video from the Tony’s performance of ‘I Believe’.

Underrated: Just So by Stiles & Drewe

Based on Kipling’s Just So stories, Stiles & Drewe wrote an awesome musical following the elephant’s child on his quest to find out why the crab plays with the sea.  Along the way he help’s the zebra get her stripes, the giraffe get her spots, the kangaroo get his big legs and the rhino his saggy skin – as well as helping a few other animals.

Taking the form of an old magician telling the story to a child, the show starts with all the animals collecting a case with their name on who we meet along the journey.  A journey with a number of memorable songs.  The first time I saw this show at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2004 it became a favourite and I saw the production several times.  I’ve only seen one other production, a young Rep production in Birmingham which managed to compete well with the professional production in Chichester.  The Chichester production also produced the soundtrack album for the show.  John Barrowman appears on the soundtrack but wasn’t in the production, however Julie Artherton who has gone onto huge success in Avenue Q and Portrait of a Princess and in the coming month, Sister Act the Musical starred as the Kolokolo Bird. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

I can’t exactly pinpoint why Just So is a favourite of mine.  I think it caught me a time in my life where a traditional, funny, family-esque musical was needed.  When I first saw it I would have been deep in A Level revision and exams and I remember going to supervise some younger members of the youth theatre at Chichester.  Then using my youth theatre membership I managed to see it several times for very cheap or free with a number of different people and seeing how they reacted to it helped make it so memorable.  There was talk when it was in Chichester of it going to London and to a bigger audience but that sadly didn’t happen.  I would love to see a new production or even be involved with a new production… but that might be a long time away.

Just So is an awesome, yet underrated musical.  Here is one of my favourite songs from the show ‘The Limpopo River’:

 

 

Suggest a Soundtrack

Hey everyone! 

As you’ll have noticed I like to listen to soundtracks when I’m bored.  So I thought I’d ask you to help me.  I’m stuck in a ruck – I want to listen to new music but don’t know what to listen to, so if there’s a soundtrack of a show new or old, well known or obscure, and it’s on Spotify (I can’t afford to buy a whole sountrack time and time again) or it’s so obscure you can’t get it from anywhere and you want to share it with me via the power of email, then please suggest them for me.  I will promise to give the whole thing a listen and to blog honestly about each soundtrack you guys recommend.  I’m not promising a track by track review a-la Ghost soundtrack unless it really grabs my attention though, but hope to be a bit more positive than the How to Succeed in Business blog!  As long as its a soundtrack to a theatre show – whether it be a musical, opera, a play’s soundtrack, a circus style show or anything that I would cover on this blog then I will listen and blog about it.

Leave me a comment or tweet me at @AfterTheCurtain or leave me a facebook post to suggest

 

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark

I have just come across this extended preview of the infamous Spider-Man musical and I have to say…. I would like to see it!  Saying that really surprises me, but it looks spactacular now they’ve had several months to iron out the difficulties and redo a large proportion of the script.  However I must say that the second song they feature looks more like a monsters gay bar than a number in a Spider-Man musical.  I love the look of the set and how the comic book aspect plays such a strong part, from the camera to the set.  The above video you can’t watch here but follow the link on the video to YouTube – it’s worth while.

To make up for the follow the link on the video, here’s a performance of ‘Rise Above’.  Enjoy!

 

Other Theatres of Birmingham – The New Alexandra Theatre

The New Alexandra Theatre

The New Alexandra Theatre isn’t a new theatre.  It somehow got given the ‘new’ to the name of it last December – no idea why, no reason why – but that’s against the point.  The Alex as it’s known locally, is Birmigham’s ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group) theatre.  99.9% of it’s shows are touring shows which have been to the other ATG theatres in the country so expect Grease, Colin Fry the medium, and those awful tribute act shows.  It’s a strange building, and you have to be careful as on more than one occassion I have been there and had a broken seat so spent the first act with my knees holding my body weight.  You might also recognise the blue painted interior from the ITV show, Britain’s Got Talent as it shares the Birmingham auditions with the Hippodrome.

 

 

 

 

Brilliant Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark spoof

I’ve just come across this brilliant spoof of the Spider-Man musical starring one of the best monsters of all time, Grover! I love how Sesame Street approaches the much fabled troubles that the Spider-Man had in it’s own special way.  Watch and enjoy!

 

Avenue Q’s Summer Holiday

A few years ago, Avenue Q was moving theatres in London and to help spread the message that the show wasn’t closing, just moving, this video was made.  As it’s August (though outside it doesn’t look it) I thought I’d treat you to this summer holiday-esque video.

Enjoy!