gracie gets dramatic
Dear Evan Hansen; a review.
6 February 2020 • Dear Evan Hansen, gracie gets dramatic, Seatplan, theatre, theatre review
*
I was given tickets to this show in exchange for a review; that in no way
affects my opinion that this show was utterly brilliant and
devastating and magical. Read on for more gushing. *
Last
night (Wednesday 5th
of
February) I was lucky enough to get a pair of tickets to see a show
I’d only heard truly great things about, and had actually
had on my radar for a while – ‘Dear
Evan Hansen’.
Here’s
some background for you…
Transferring
to the West End following a hugely successful US premiere (and
Tony wins), including a sold-out national tour, the heartfelt story
follows teenager Evan Hansen as he tries to cope with a lie that
spirals out of control.
What
does it feel like to not fit in? Evan Hansen has spent his whole life
feeling invisible; coming from a broken home with only a few friends,
he wishes for a completely different life. When a letter he
wrote that was never meant to be seen is found, a dangerous lie
rapidly spirals out of control. Soon, Evan it getting everything
he has ever dreamed of. But at what cost?
The
book of ‘Dear
Evan Hansen’ is by
Steven evenson, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul –
who created the scores for the incredibly successful ‘La
La Land’ and
‘The
Greatest Showman’.
With a soundtrack that is already beloved by fans across the world,
the production features emotional songs including “Waving Through a
Window”, “Requiem” and “You Will Be Found”.
Michael
Greif (‘Rent’,
‘Next to Normal’, ‘If/Then’) directs
the musical, which also features choreography by Danny
Mefford, orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, set design by David
Korins, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy
Weideman and sound design by Nevin Steinberg.
The
casting of this production was pretty much perfect. And, I mean, Sam
Tutty. Can we just talk about this miraculous human? Okay. He was
utterly adorable and completely believable in his awkward and
pained portrayal of Evan. His erratic way of speaking and the
uncomfortable way he would carry himself throughout was
heartbreaking and hilarious, all at once; his interactions
with the other cast members were all wonderful. My theatre
date (a big Evan Hansen fan) also noted
how he’d mirror some of Connor Murphy’s (Doug
Colling’s) movements when
they had scenes together that happened in his own mind. Little
touches like that can be huge in the overall impressions of
the production, and it’s no surprise that Sam is getting only
the best reviews for his West End debut (!!).
My
date for the evening; the lovely Stevie.
Generally,
the acting and direction was all superb, and almost every song made
me want to gasp; they were all so full of heart and many of them were
unlike anything I'd heard before in how they changed tone and pace so
quickly. There were moments in the show when I genuinely felt a sharp
pain in my chest and my tummy ached. I didn't cry at any point
(although I did tear up at the very end; more on that to come) but I
think that's because my mind was so focused on the story, and I was
feeling so much in my body, y'know?
Okay.
Let’s get into the set – high concept to say the
least; all digital displays, sliding platforms and hectic holograms,
oh my. Throughout the production, the characters were surrounded by
flickering images, projections and… a lot of darkness. And I think
it was that intense darkness that (spoiler alert) made it so
impactful when the set suddenly became bright and clear towards the
end. When all the social media screens finally gave way to pure blue
light, and hopeful sprigs that would someday become tall trees…
that was so powerful. I also really felt the madness when the
Facebook posts went viral, and strangers’ voices filled the space
saying things like ‘I needed to see this today’, ‘if you watch
one video today, make it this’ and ‘share to save a life’ (I’m
paraphrasing, obvs). That whole part of the show told us so much
about the age and culture we live in, and how crowded our brains get
with all this digital content. It’s really quite scary, when you
think about it. At least, that’s what this social
media addict drew from
it…
A
poignant moment for me was when the cast all gathered together at the
end to bow; it’s always a part of the show I look forward to
because you’re given a glimpse of the people behind the characters,
and for just a minute, you get to see how proud they are of what
they’ve made together. This curtain call was especially
magical to see, because the characters had all been through so much,
and I felt they were so ‘together’ as they greeted the standing
ovation (which was similar to Come From Away in how bloody FAST it
happened!). Sam Tutty (Evan) also made me smile when he
stuck his tongue out (in an exhausted-but-elated kind of way) as we
applauded him.
Also,
I have just found out that last night was the debut of the new Heidi
Hansen (Evan’s mum), Hannah Lindsey. I did wonder if she was a
cover perhaps, because Tutty gave her a separate clap after he
bowed, and slung a proud arm around her as they strolled offstage
together – but no, it was her first time! Hannah, you
were breathtaking. Honestly. Your scenes hit me hardest, I think.
Thank you so much to Seatplan for the tickets to this brilliant production. Readers, if you want to see this show, it's booking until May this year and I really, really advise that you get on it ASAP. And when you've seen it, let's discuss it at length because I have so many feelings...!
'Noises Off', a review.
16 October 2019 • From the Box Office, gracie gets dramatic, Ingresso, Noises Off, press tickets
–
Tickets
to this show were given to me in exchange for a review.
This
in no way affects my opinion of the production.
–
I
thoroughly enjoyed the madness of ‘Noises Off’, the most
spectacular witty farce, at the Garrick Theatre last week.
I
knew next to nothing about
it, going in. But sometimes I like to do that when I’m seeing a
show; I’ll only watch a quick trailer or check out the company’s
social media accounts
before I collect my tickets and strap in on the night. I
had heard that this play was
a revival of sorts; it’s a
classic comedy by Michael Frayn which has transferred to the Garrick
after a fabulous run at the Lyric Hammersmith.
Now,
for the plot – or is it a plot within a plot? Well, it’s a play
within a play…
School of Rock, the Musical; a review.
14 May 2019 • gracie gets dramatic, School of Rock, theatre review, west end
– Tickets
to this show were given to me in exchange for a review. –
I
was lucky enough to finally see
‘School of Rock’ last night at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, in
London. I’d been meaning to for a while, but something always
stopped me – maybe it was the fact that I loved the film so much
when I was a teen, I couldn’t possibly see it done any other way?
Fortunately (spoiler alert), I did enjoy this show.
(We were allowed to take photos/videos during the final song. Cool, eh?)
'Little Shop of Horrors', by The Talentz; a review.
19 April 2019 • gracie gets dramatic, Little Shop of Horrors, The Talentz, theatre review
For
those of you who don’t know, The
Talentz is
an epic, award-winning musical theatre company offering professional training for folks aged 4 to 21 in Kent and I
finally got the chance to see one of their shows, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, last night.
First
of all, I was amazed just how many people were in the audience,
considering it was a Thursday night and the show was running all
weekend – clearly these superstars are very well loved. Then I
spent the rest of the night being awed again and again at how
incredibly talented the whole company are.
'The Great Gatsby' experience; a review.
11 March 2019 • gracie gets dramatic, Guild of Misrule, immersive theatre, The Great Gatsby, theatre review
I’ve
finally cracked it, folks. I have found the perfect solution for the
Sunday eve pre-working week woes. You simply need a night of brilliant,
twenties-themed immersive theatre! You’re welcome.
Yes,
on Sunday 10th of March the fabulous Stevie Finegan and I
were plunged into the super glam and glittery world of Gatsby, with
help from Guild of Misrule and From the Box Office!
(photo from Stevie)
'Come From Away'; a review.
6 February 2019 • Come From Away, From the Box Office, gracie gets dramatic, theatre, theatre review
On
Tuesday 5th of February, I was lucky enough to be
able to see ‘Come From Away’, a brilliant new musical that’s
just landed in London!
This
show tells the story of the people flying over America on the 11th of
September 2001, who had their journeys drastically derailed and ended
up landing somewhere very unexpected...
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